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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 23rd, 2025–Mar 24th, 2025

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Flathead, Lizard.

7AM UPDATE: More snow fell overnight than forecast.

Avalanche danger will increase as rain wets the upper snowpack. Avoid exposure to avalanche terrain as natural activity is likely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several natural and artificially triggered size 1 to 2 storm slab avalanches have occurred daily since Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

Surfaces are becoming wet as snow turns to rain.

A melt-freeze crust is found 60 cm deep, except on high-elevation north and east-facing slopes.

A surface hoar or facet layer from late January is buried 100 to 150 cm deep on north and east aspects at treeline and above. This may re-emerge as a persistent slab problem with warming this week.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Cloudy with 10 to 30 cm of snow favouring Fernie area. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Monday

Snow transitioning to rain, 5 to 15 mm. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2300 m.

Tuesday

5 to 15 mm of rain overnight then partly clearing skies. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +6 °C. Freezing level rising to 2600 m.

Wednesday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +10 °C. Freezing level rising to 3500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche danger will rapidly increase if snow switches to rain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • Cautiously approach steep slopes that are open or sparsely treed.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.

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.

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.