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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 28th, 2023–Mar 1st, 2023

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard.

Light snowfall continues to stack up. Expect more reactivity in wind loaded features and manage your sluff in steeper terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several human and naturally triggered slabs avalanches were reported to size 2 on Sunday and Monday. Slab avalanches occurred in sheltered and wind effected terrain, along with consistent sluffing of loose snow from steep terrain.

Please post your field observations and photos on the Mountain Information Network. .

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of storm snow sits on wind affected surfaces at all elevations. Deeper deposits may be found in north and east facing terrain features due to southwest winds.

The mid-snowpack is generally well settled. The lower snowpack includes a layer of weak sugary crystals near the ground. These facets are slowly gaining strength and have not produced recent avalanche activity. We continue to track the layer and watch for any signs that it could wake up and produce very large avalanches.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly cloudy with light snowfall, 5-10 cm favoring Fernie and southern terrain. Light and variable winds. Freezing levels around 500 m. Alpine high of -6 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Moderate westerly winds. Alpine high of -5 °C. Freezing levels 1000 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with light snowfall 5-15 cm. Strong southwest winds. Alpine highs of -6°C, freezing levels around 1200 m.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud with moderate westerly winds. Freezing level around 1000 m. Flurries deliver light snowfall.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.

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.