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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 7th, 2022–Apr 10th, 2022

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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Waterton Lakes.

Freezing levels remain high Thursday night into Friday. Keep big objectives for cooler day ahead.

A cold front coming in Friday afternoon will improve avalanche hazard for the weekend. Expect to travel through a variety of snow surfaces.

Weather Forecast

Tonight: Cloudy with clear periods. Moderate SW winds. Freezing levels 3000m.

Fri: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated wet flurries. Alpine high +5. Mod gusting extreme SW winds. FL 3400m.

Sat: Cloudy with flurries, 7 cm. Alpine high -5. Light to mod gusting strong W winds. FL 1400m.

Sun: Flurries, 8 cm. Alpine high of -5. Light W winds. FL 3000m.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 19 cm of storm snow is settling and becoming moist with high freezing levels Thursday. SW winds formed 15-30 cm windslabs in alpine lees. New snow buried refrozen surfaces on all aspects well into ALP. A series of crusts and windslab make up the midpack. Lower snowpack is well settled 1F to P. HS 250-300 cm near the continental divide.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity increasing each afternoon with day time heating. Numerous size 1 wet loose avalanches reported in last two days. Please report any observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Confidence

Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain

Problems

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.