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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 26th, 2026–Feb 27th, 2026

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

South Columbia, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Retallack.

Ongoing stormy weather will continue to create dangerous avalanche conditions.

Be sure to choose low-consequence terrain, far away from overhead hazards.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how persistent slabs will react to the forecast weather.
  • We are uncertain about forecast precipitation amounts.

Avalanche Summary

Poor visibility restricted field observations on Wednesday and Thursday, but natural avalanche activity has likely occurred from the ongoing strong wind and heavy loading during the storm.

Very large natural avalanches (size 2 to 3) and human-triggered persistent slabs ( size 1.5 to 2.5) were reported continously with some being accidental or remote (from a distance) on all aspects and elevations, even from low-angle slopes.

Snowpack Summary

The latest storm added 25 to 40 cm of additional new snow to the complex snowpack, along with strong to extreme westerly winds.

Three persistent weak layers of concern may be found in the upper 170 cm of the snowpack:

  • 50 to 70+ cm down is a layer of surface hoar in sheltered areas, or a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes from mid-February.

  • 80 to 120+ cm down is the early-February layer of surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain and a crust on sun-exposed slopes.

  • 100 to 140 cm down is the late-January layer of surface hoar and facets over a melt-freeze crust.

All of these persistent layers have continued to produce large avalanches in the region.

The remainder of the snowpack below is well consolidated.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy. 10 to 25 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Friday

Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Saturday

A mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain; avalanches may run surprisingly far.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.