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

Nov 23rd, 2024–Nov 24th, 2024

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard, Moyie, St. Mary, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

The snowpack needs time to adjust to the new snow.
Watch for signs of instability, like whumpfing or shooting cracks.

If you go out, consider making a MIN report.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, several storm slab avalanches were reported. Information is limited but the storm snow is reactive and needs time to bond.

Several large (size 2-2.5) storm slab avalanches occurred in the Lizard Range on Thursday.

If you head out into the backcountry, please submit a MIN. We look at every single one🙌

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall amounts are around 40 to 50 cm in the last three days. The top of the snowpack is generally soft at the top and gets firmer as you go down.
The bottom of the snowpack has a crust from early November that is just above the ground. The crust has acted as a bed surface for recent avalanches.
Snowpack depth is 100-180 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy with no new snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Mix of sun and cloud with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Don't let storm day fever lure you into consequential terrain.
  • As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

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.

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.