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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 5th, 2026–Apr 6th, 2026

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

Regions

Dogtooth, East Purcell, West Purcell.

Sun and warmth will likely increase the avalanche danger.

Plan your route to avoid any exposure to overhead cornices.

Confidence

High

  • We are confident due to a stable weather pattern.

Avalanche Summary

Large cornice failures continue every day; the warm temperatures are making them more likely to fall.

Small wet loose avalanches have begun and are likely to become more widespread with sun and warmth.

Snowpack Summary

A thin crust has formed on south-facing terrain from recent solar radiation and overnight refreeze. On shaded aspects, 10 to 15 cm of soft snow survives.

Below this, 20 to 60 cm overlies a thick crust from the March atmospheric river, which extends up to at least 2200 m. Near Invermere, weak sugary facets have been seen on this crust.

Various persistent weak layers may still exist in the top 150 cm of the snowpack and in shallow snowpack areas, depth hoar (large facets) can be found near the bottom of the snowpack. Large triggers, like falling cornices, may be able to trigger these layers at upper elevations where the crust below the recent snow is thin or absent.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.

Monday
Sunny. 20 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. Up to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level falling to 1500 m.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Start your day early and be out of avalanche terrain during the heat of the day.
  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.

Problems

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.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.