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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2021–Apr 3rd, 2021

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.
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

North Columbia.

High elevation north aspects hold the best snow but are also the most likely place to encounter wind slabs. Be ready to back off slopes as warm temperatures moisten and weaken the upper snowpack. Check out our latest blog post on managing these not-quite-yet-spring conditions.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Friday night: Mainly cloudy with continuing isolated flurries. Light to moderate southwest wind. Alpine high temperatures around -6. Freezing level valley bottom.

Saturday: Cloudy with continuing isolated flurries, increasing overnight. Moderate to strong south winds. Alpine high temperatures around -4. Freezing levels to 1800 m.

Sunday: 10-15 cm new snow overnight then clearing. Light southwest wind shifting northwest over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -5. Freezing level 1500 m.

Monday: Sunny. Light to moderate northwest wind. Alpine high temperatures around -2. Freezing level 1800 m.

Avalanche Summary

No reports of avalanche activity since Wednesday when small (size 1) natural and skier triggered loose wet avalanches were observed on south aspects, running on a recent crust layer. One recent natural size 2 cornice failure was also noted.

On Tuesday, a skier triggered size 2.5 involvement was reported in neighboring Glacier National Park resulted in lost gear and minor injuries. The avalanche is suspected to have run on a buried crust in the upper snowpack.

Snowpack Summary

Light accumulations of new snow have added to wind affected surfaces in alpine areas and to settled dry snow on more sheltered, shaded aspects above 2000 metres. Below this elevation and on solar aspects it dusts crusty surfaces. Below about 1500 metres, surface conditions of the diminishing snowpack will vary according to alternating light rain, wet flurries, and overnight refreezes.

At alpine and treeline elevations, a widespread crust exists (except on north-facing slopes above 1800 m) buried 50-100 cm deep. Overall the snow seems to be bonding well at this interface, although there have been a few isolated avalanches running on deeper crust layers over the past few weeks.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Extra caution is needed around cornices under the current conditions.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.