Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2022–Mar 29th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary.

Despite an overnight refreeze, solars aspects slopes will soften quickly with intense sunshine and warming temperatures. Be particularly cautious on and under steep slopes when they are baking in the sun.

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Weather Forecast

A ridge of high pressure will build in for Tuesday, bringing a sunny and dry day with freezing levels up to 2000 to 2500 metres. 

MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear periods. No precipitation. 30-40 km/h northerly winds. Low alpine temperature -4 C with freezing level around 1200 m.

TUESDAY: Sunny with cloudy periods. No precipitation. 10-20 km/h northeasterly winds becoming calm in the afternoon. High alpine temperature +2 C with freezing level around 2000 m.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with scattered flurries. 3-5 cm. 20-30 km/h southwesterly winds. High alpine temperature -1 C with freezing level around 1700 m.

THURSDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. No precipitation. 20-25 km/h northwesterly winds. High alpine temperature -4 C with freezing level around 1600 m.

Avalanche Summary

No significant avalanche activity has been reported on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

The upper snowpack is going through a diurnal melt freeze cycle. Refrozen crust on all aspects as high as 2500 m, softening in the afternoon at all elevations and especially on steep, sunny slopes. Recent warm temperatures, sun, and rain have made the top 20-40 cm of the snowpack moist. At very low elevations, the snowpack may be wet and isothermal, depending on overnight freezing levels. 

40 to 70 cm below the snow surface, you'll find a frozen sun crust on solar aspects, and weak, feathery surface hoar crystals on shaded aspects. This layer was buried in early March and produced surprising avalanches during the last storm and following warm days. The recent warm weather seems to have helped this layer to bond as no avalanche were reported during the warmest days of the weekend. 

The mid and lower snowpack are generally strong and well bonded.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

Problems

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.