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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 15th, 2024–Apr 16th, 2024

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.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Rockies, Crowsnest North, Elkford East, Elkford West.

A cold front will create heightened avalanche conditions on steep wind-loaded slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Warm sunny weather over the weekend caused small wet loose avalanches in the southern Rockies (size 1 to 1.5).

Looking forward, new snow may form slabs on wind-loaded slopes.

Snowpack Summary

A cold front crossing the region will bring 5 to 15 cm of new snow by Tuesday afternoon and more into the evening. This snow will bury crusts and wet snow that formed over the weekend.

The upper snowpack consists of various melt-freeze layers. The lower snowpack contains old weak layers that are no longer a concern.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Increasing cloud. 45 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. Greatest accumulations on the Alberta side of the Rockies. 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud with 1 to 2 cm of snow. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for avalanche hazard to increase throughout the day.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.

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.