Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 25th, 2022–Mar 26th, 2022

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

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, human triggered possible.

Regions

Purcells.

If you are stepping into bigger terrain, carefully evaluate your line for windslab and loose wet avalanche potential.

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy with a drizzle of rain. Light southwest ridgetop winds, trending to moderate west in the high alpine. Freezing level rising to 2000 m through the day.

SATURDAY: Partly cloudy. Possible light rain/snow in the afternoon. Light southwest ridgetop wind trending to moderate west in the high alpine. Freezing level around valley bottom overnight, rising to 2100 m through the day.

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. Possible light rain/snow. Light southwest ridgetop wind trending to strong in the high alpine. Freezing level around valley bottom overnight, and rising as high as 2700 m through the day.

MONDAY: Mostly cloudy. Possible light rain/snow. Light southwest ridgetop winds with some periods of moderate in the high alpine. Freezing level around 2100 m.

Avalanche Summary

No new and notable avalanches were reported before 4 pm on Friday.

On Thursday, many loose wet avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported on slopes getting cooked by the sun. Also, a few large (up to size 3) cornice falls were reported that didn't trigger other avalanches as they fell.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snow and moderate wind have formed small pockets of windslab in the alpine . Refrozen crust on all aspects as high as 2300 m, softening in the afternoon at low elevations, and on steep, sunny slopes. Recent warm temperatures, sun, and rain have made the top 5-15 cm of the snowpack moist.

30 to 75 cm below the snow surface, you'll find a frozen sun crust on solar aspects. This layer was buried in early March, and it was a cause of several avalanches last week, but the recent warm weather seems to have helped this layer heal.

The lower snowpack is generally strong and well bonded.

Terrain and Travel

If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.
Be alert to conditions that change with elevation.
When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, it is raining, or solar radiation is strong.
Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.

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.

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.