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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 24th, 2023–Jan 25th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

An incoming period of warm weather with expected sunshine is likely to create small loose wet avalanches on steep low elevation south-aspect terrain.

Remember that even a small loose wet avalanche can push a rider into or over a terrain trap, such as a cliff or gulley feature.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in this forecast area in the last 96 hours.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

5 cm of recent snow has been redistributed by light to moderate westerly winds and overlies a melt-freeze crust that can be found up to 2100 m. Much of this snow has been redistributed by moderate to strong winds, predominately from the west, at higher elevations. They are now covering older wind slabs in lee terrain features.

The mid-pack continues to settle and is well consolidated. Facets exist near the base of the snowpack. Total snowpack depth ranges between 85 to 115 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

A mix of sun and cloud, no accumulation, wind southwest 30 km/h easing to 15 km/h, Freezing level rising to 1200 m, treeline temperatures -6 C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud, no accumulation, wind southwest 25 km/h, Freezing level rising slightly to 1400 m, treeline temperatures -5 to 0 C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with late-day sun, no accumulation, wind southwest 20 km/h, Freezing level 1500 m treeline temperature -3 to +2 C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, 1 to 2cm of accumulation, wind northeast 20 km/h, Freezing level descending to 500 m treeline temperature -3 to -5 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.