Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Mar 30 – 31, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 3 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

15 to 30 cm of recent snow and southwest wind formed wind slabs in specific locations below alpine ridgecrests.

Use caution when approaching steep and rocky terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    15 to 30 cm of recent snow and southwest wind formed wind slabs in specific locations below alpine ridgecrests.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3

    A crust with weak facets above is down 40 to 110 cm. Steep or convex terrain features with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack at treeline and above are the most likely places to trigger this layer.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    Expect the sunshine to trigger wet loose avalanches on sunny aspects at all elevations.

Snowpack Summary

Strong solar radiation has formed a surface crust everywhere except north facing terrian at upper elevations.

15 to 30 cm of recent snow overlies a crust on all but north facing aspects at treeline and above where a weak layer of surface hoar may be present.

A widespread crust with facets above is down 60 to 110 cm. Steep or convex terrain features with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack at treeline and above are the most likely places to trigger this layer.

Weak facets at the base of the snowpack remain a concern in steep, rocky alpine terrain with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few rider triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported on north and east aspects in the alpine on Friday.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8° C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Sunday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1° C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Monday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 4° C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Tuesday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7° C. Freezing level 2900 m.

Check out the Mountain Weather Forecast for additional weather information.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • If triggered loose wet avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Cornice failure may trigger large avalanches.

Regions covered