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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 12th, 2026–Mar 13th, 2026

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

Regions

Glacier.

Human triggered storm slabs are likely. Use extra caution in steep, wind effected terrain.

The persistent slab problem is still lurking in start zones that haven't avalanched on these weak layers.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about alpine conditions due to limited field observations.
  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

Natural avalanches up to size 3 were observed along the highway corridor Thursday morning. These avalanches mostly failed in the recent storm snow, primarily in the steep terrain east of Rogers Pass.

Effective artillery control on Sunday produced widespread avalanches size 2-4.

For information on how to deal with persistent slab problems, see the Avalanche Canada blog post. Avalanches are happening less often, but when they do occur, the consequences are very serious.

Snowpack Summary

In the Alpine and at Treeline, 30-80cm of storm snow has fallen since Mar 8. Moderate to strong southerly winds have loaded lee features in exposed terrain.

Below treeline, 20-30 cm of storm snow cover the Mar 8 rain crust, which is present up to ~1800m.

The Feb 9 and Jan 26 surface hoar (SH) layers are now buried 110-170cm deep. The Jan 26th layer is a crust with either surface hoar (up to 40mm in some places!) or facets on top of it.

Weather Summary

Cool temps and continued flurries, with broken skies into the weekend.

Tonight Flurries, 5cm. Alpine low -15°C. Freezing level(FZL) valley bottom. Winds W 20-35km/h.

Fri Sun and Cloud, Precip: Nil. Alp High -11°C. Wind Light to 20km/h. FZL 700m.

Sat Cloud/Sun/Flurries, Trace precip. Alp High -16°C. Wind NW 15-30km/h. FZL 700m.

Sun Cloud/Flurries, Trace precip. Alp High -13°C. Wind: SW 15. FZL valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

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.

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.