Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Dec 8 – 11, 2016Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 10 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Watch for early season hazards just below the snow surface, with ongoing cold temperatures even a minor injury could result in serious consequences.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Buried windslabs may still be triggerable. Expect fresh windslab development as winds increase Friday into Saturday.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

Weather Forecast

The arctic ridge persists through Thursday, giving clear skies, calm winds and cold temps (Lows of -30, Highs of -25). On Friday a low pressure system moving inland from the coast will give flurries and snow showers through Saturday (total accumulations of 5-10 cm). Temperatures remain cold with overnight lows of -24 and daytime highs of -20.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20cm of low density snow is covering a well settled early season snowpack (watch for buried windslabs near ridges). The snowpack above 2000m is over 100cm deep near in the divide, but much shallower at lower elevations and in Eastern areas. A mid November crust down 40-90cm was well bonded in areas observed to date but warrants evaluation.

Avalanche Summary

No recent activity observed.

Confidence

Due to the number and quality of field observations

Regions covered