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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 7th, 2024–Apr 8th, 2024

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Start and finish early to enjoy the good travel and lower hazard. Monday should stay cooler, but watch for wet loose avalanches later in the day with daytime warming and solar inputs.

Moderate winds may form small windslabs in steep alpine terrain, and continue to use caution in steep northerly thin snowpack terrain in the alpine.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed or reported on Sunday.

On Friday and Saturday multiple solar triggered loose wet avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported in steep solar terrain as the most recent storm snow heated up.

It has been a week since the last skier triggered avalanches on the Feb 3rd persistent weak layer occured. These involved a skier remote in Purple Bowl and a skier accidental at the Cathedral Glades.

Snowpack Summary

New surface crusts on all solar aspects and up to 2500 m on north aspects. On high north aspects 15-20 cm of recent storm snow remains dry with some wind effect near ridgecrests.

The February 3 persistent weak layer remains a concern for human triggering in shallow snowpack areas on northerly alpine aspects where no crusts are found in the upper snowpack and the midpack remains thin and weak.

Weather Summary

Monday: Moist southwest flow aloft will generate cloudy skies and flurries at higher elevations. Southwest ridgetop winds will range from 35 to 50 km/h.  

Precipitation will be mainly on the windward side of the Rockies but some snow will drift across to the eastern slopes through the afternoon. Freezing levels will be between 1800-2000 m.

Click here for more weather info.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remember that in the spring strong solar radiation and warm temperatures can weaken the snow in a matter of minutes.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.

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.

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.

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.