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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 15th, 2026–Mar 16th, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
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

Clearwater, South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Danger is expected to increase over the day. Be ready to dial back your terrain selection if you notice signs of instability and treat danger as HIGH if you encounter more than 30 cm of new snow.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about forecast snowfall amounts.
  • We are uncertain due to rapidly changing freezing levels.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, a few large storm slabs were triggered with explosives east of Kelowna.

On Thursday, explosives control east of Kelowna produced several large (size 2) persistent slabs, which failed on the January crust that is 30 to 100 cm deep. This is the only recent evidence of persistent slabs reacting to large triggers in the region.

Snowpack Summary

15 to 25 cm of new snow should accumulate by end-of-day Monday, adding to 20 to 40 cm since March 7, which has been redistributed by strong southwest winds in open terrain. It overlies a crust below around 1800 m and hard, old snow above.

Within the top 100 cm of the snowpack, there are a few layers of surface hoar, facets, crusts, or a combination of the three. The late-January layer is only about 70 cm deep. Other than Thursday's explosives results east of Kelowna, these layers haven't produced avalanches.

The remainder of the snowpack is well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Cloudy with flurries bringing about 15 cm of new snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, increasing. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Monday
Cloudy with increasingly wet flurries bringing up to 10 cm of snow, mainly in the alpine as rain climbs to about 1700 m. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature reaching 0 °C with freezing level climbing from 600 m to 1800 m.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy with light rain, possible wet alpine flurries with minimal accumulation. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature 5 °C with freezing level reaching 2700 m.

Wednesday
Mainly sunny. 1 to 2 mm of rain at treeline. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature 5 °C with freezing level between 2300 m and 2700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.

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.