Avalanche forecast

Banff Yoho Kootenay

Apr 13 – 14, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 5 months ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
Spring conditions
Below
Spring conditions

Highlights

A low-pressure system will bring another blast of winter to the alpine. Watch for developing wind slabs as snow accumulates through the day Tuesday.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2

    New snow and increasing winds will form wind slabs at upper elevations. This will be predominantly a concern in the northern part of the forecast region, where higher snowfall amounts are expected.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    As a low-pressure system moves into the region Monday night, precipitation will increase across the area. At lower elevations, this will likely fall as rain. Watch for wet loose avalanche activity as recent snow accumulations become rain-saturated.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain if precipitation will fall as rain or snow.
  • We are uncertain about forecast precipitation amounts.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed or reported Monday.

Snowpack Summary

3 to 15 cm of new snow overlying sun and temperature crusts on all aspects to 2300 m, and to ridge top on solar aspects. True north aspects hold dry, settled snow above 2300 m. The Jan 24 layer is down 70 to 160+ cm over a generally strong snowpack.

Weather Summary

A low-pressure system will move into the region Monday night. As the system approaches, upper-elevation winds will increase to strong from the southwest. Precipitation will intensify through the day Tuesday, with snowfall accumulations at upper elevations ranging from 5 to 20 cm, with higher amounts expected in the north. 1700m freezing levels are expected throughout the day.

Regions covered