Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 17th, 2022–Dec 18th, 2022

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

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Watch for pockets of wind slab at ridgetop. With cold arctic air settling into the region for the next few days you should be planning conservative trips. Even a small accident can have big consequences during cold temps and short days.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been observed in the region however several persistent slab avalanches up to size 2 have been reported this week in the neighboring forecast region.

If you are heading into the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

15cm of recent snow along with variable winds has likely formed small wind slab in all exposed alpine terrain. This overlies a sun crust on south facing slopes and a layer of facets. Surface hoar can also be found under this recent snow around treeline.

A weak layer consisting of facets and a crust formed in November is now buried around 50cm deep. This layer has produced large avalanches over the last weekend and continues to show reactivity in snowpack tests in the neighboring forecast region.

In general the snowpack is quite faceted with average snowpack depths at treeline around 100cm.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Flurries bringing up to 10cm of low density new snow. Light to moderate southwest wind. low of -23 at 1800m.

Sunday

Scattered flurries bringing a few centimeters of new snow. Light southwest wind. High of -22 at 1800m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Moderate to strong west winds and a high of -24 at 1800m.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud with no new snow expected. Moderate to strong west winds and a high of -26 at 1800m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.