Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 9th, 2023–Apr 10th, 2023

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 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

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Prepare for a wet and stormy day. Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from rain, snow or wind.

If you see signs of a rapidly warming snowpack, like snow that feels like a slurpy, or clumps up and pinwheels down a slope, retreat to mellower terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported before 4pm on Sunday.

On Saturday in the Loop ridge area, right on the border with this forecast area, some whumpfing and shooting cracks were reported on a wind-loaded road cut, in terrain not steep enough to avalanche. See more details on the Mountain Information Network (MIN) here.

If you have any observations from this region, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Rain is soaking the snow surface up to mountain tops. Previously, dry snow remained on shaded (northerly) slopes, and thin crusts on slopes that face the sun and all aspects below ~2000 m.

A buried melt-freeze crust exists in the mid-snowpack, down 50 to 120 cm from the surface.

A weak layer of sugary crystals at the base of the snowpack persists. This layer has not produced recent avalanche activity in this area, but professionals continue to monitor for signs of it becoming active.

Weather Summary

Snow/Rain amounts for the incoming storm are uncertain. Weather models are not agreeing on how widespread or intense the precipitation will be. Prepare to continually evaluate the conditions, and change plans as necessary.

Sunday Night

Clear, becoming cloudy through the night. 0-2 cm of snow expected in the alpine. Rain below 2100 m. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to Extreme at high elevations.

Monday

Cloudy. Moderate rainfall expected. 5-15 mm. Snow/rain line rising to 2500 m. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to extreme at high elevations.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. 2-5 cm of snow expected. Snow/rain line starts the morning around 2000 m and falls to valley bottom through the day. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at high elevations.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy. 2-5 cm of snow expected. Treeline temperatures around -5°C. Light southwest ridgetop wind.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
Travel in alpine terrain is not recommended.

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.

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.