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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 4th, 2026–Feb 5th, 2026

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

Regions

Rossland, South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Avalanche danger may increase with warm mountain top temperatures and sunny skies. Conditions may change quickly, so back off slopes and use extra caution by the afternoon.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to how buried persistent weak layers will react with the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

With warm mountaintop temperatures, natural and human-triggered wet avalanches are possible on Thursday.

A few (size 1.5) explosive-controlled avalanches were reported on Tuesday.

On January 30-31, numerous natural, human-triggered, and explosive-triggered avalanches were reported throughout the region. All occurring on the mid-January buried surface hoar/facet/crust layer.

Snowpack Summary

A thin melt-freeze surface crust may exist to mountain top but will soften with warming during the day. Below this, 15 to 20 cm of moist snow sits over a surface hoar/ crust layer, which was buried in late January. The buried surface hoar is largest in sheltered treeline and below treeline terrain.

Strong southwest wind may have formed pockets of stiff wind slab on upper elevation northeast slopes.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear skies. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.

Thursday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 3300 m.

Friday
Sunny. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 mm of rain at treeline. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • The more the snowpack warms up and weakens, the more conservative your terrain selection should be.
  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.