Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2022–Apr 3rd, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
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.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead.

Watch for the formation of thin wind slabs, especially near ridgecrest and remember that even brief periods of sunshine may initiate loose wet avalanche activity in the bit of snow that fell Saturday.

Confidence

Low - Uncertainty is due to the timing, track, & intensity of the incoming weather system.

Weather Forecast

SATURDAY NIGHT: 1 to 3 cm of snow possible, light west/southwest wind, freezing level near valley bottom.

SUNDAY: A few clouds at dawn building to overcast by lunch, a few cm of snow possible during the day, moderate southwest wind, freezing level around 1700 m. 4 to 10 cm expected Sunday night.

MONDAY: Overcast, 10 to 25 cm of snow possible, strong southwest wind, freezing level around 1600 m. Another 5 to 10 cm possible Monday night.

TUESDAY: Broken cloud cover, 2 to 6 cm possible, moderate west wind, freezing level around 1500 m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported since Tuesday when natural wet avalanches were reported on steep sun affected slopes to size 1. Wet avalanche activity is expected to decrease with cooler temperatures this weekend. 

Snowpack Summary

The region picked up a bit of new snow Saturday, by day's end it was snowing at Fernie, but only about 4 cm has fallen as of 6:00 PM. Under this, the upper snowpack is going through a daily melt-freeze cycle. A crust exists on all aspects to around 2500 m and likely to mountain top on sun affected slopes. Warm temperatures and sun are softening or breaking down the crust during the day and creating moist snow. At very low elevations, the snowpack may be wet and isothermal, depending on overnight freezing levels. 

The mid and lower snowpack are generally strong and well bonded.

Terrain and Travel

  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

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.