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

Jan 4th, 2025–Jan 5th, 2025

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, human triggered possible.
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

Lizard-Flathead, Flathead, Lizard.

As winds pick up, expect fresh and sensitive wind slabs to form near ridge crests. Watch for areas where deep pillows of snow accumulate.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Thursday a few small (size 1) dry loose avalanches have been reported. Tuesday and Wednesday, explosive avalanche control and testing near Fernie, produced numerous small (size 1 to 1.5) slab avalanches. These failed on the storm interface that was down approximately 20 cm.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a MIN report!

Snowpack Summary

Surface snow of up to 10 cm is dry and unconsolidated and when the wind begins to increase, it will easily be transported and begin to form windslabs. Below this, past storm snow accumulations vary across the region from 30 to 50 cm and are settling. Below 1500 m elevation a previously moist surface is now dense and refrozen.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and stable.

Snow depths at treeline range from 140 to 220 cm.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy, with light snowfall 1 to 5 cm. 10 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with light snowfall 1 to 5 cm. 5 to 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Monday

Cloudy, with light flurries 1 cm. 5 to 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Tuesday

Partially cloudy becoming clear. 5 to 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Be careful with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.