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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 17th, 2026–Feb 18th, 2026

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Flathead, Lizard.

Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Natural avalanches are likely.

Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a widespread cycle of natural, human, and explosive triggered storm slab avalanches up to size 2 occurred in the Lizard Range.

We are aware of an emerging avalanche incident in the Coal Creek area southwest of Fernie. Further details are not yet available, but will be provided when possible.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 50 cm of storm snow has developed touchy storm slabs over an upper snowpack that is variable and contains two distinct layers:

  • At 50 cm depth, a supportive crust exists on south-facing terrain. On north-facing terrain, this crust is breakable or absent.

  • Between 60 and 100 cm depth, a persistent weak layer of crust/facets with spotty surface hoar is present.

The persistent weak layer is becoming less reactive but continues to produce sporadic avalanches, particularly on north aspects where a supportive crust is absent and in less-travelled areas like the Flathead. Recent storm snow will further load these layers.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -19 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Keep your guard up at lower elevations. Storms slabs have been reactive at all elevations.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.