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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2023–Mar 29th, 2023

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

Regions

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Rising freezing levels and direct sun could weaken the snowpack on southerly aspects.

Minimize your exposure time to overhead avalanche terrain as temperatures increase.

Shallow rocky areas should still be considered suspect.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

We suspect that wet loose avalanches occurred Tuesday on south aspects throughout the region, as conditions were clear and sunny.

Few natural dry loose avalanches (size 1) were released within the light snow from steep alpine terrain over the weekend.

A slab avalanche (size 1.5) was triggered by a snowmobiler near York Creek on Friday on a short but steep northerly slope below treeline.

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

Snowpack Summary

The region received 20-25 cm of recent snow since Saturday, which has settled quickly since then. This overlies a crust on solar aspects, faceted snow and surface hoar (up to 10 mm) in shaded and wind-sheltered areas. Wind-affected surfaces are also found in exposed areas. At lower elevations, a crust exists near the surface.

A melt-freeze crust with facets above can be found 50 to 120 cm deep, but it has not produced any recent avalanche activity in the region.

The weak layer at the base of the snowpack produced some large avalanches with strong sun and warm temperatures last week. Professionals are still tracking it to watch for signs of it waking up.

Weather Summary

The region will be under a building ridge of high pressure, with calm and dry conditions for the next few days.

Tuesday night

Mainly clear. Low alpine temperatures of -9 °C. Light northeast ridge wind gusting 30 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Generally sunny. High alpine temperatures of -2 °C. Light easterly ridge wind gusting 30 km/h. Freezing level rises to 2000 metres.

Thursday

A mix of sun and clouds. High alpine temperatures of -3 °C. Light westerly ridge wind. Freezing level rises to 1800 metres.

Friday

Cloudy with sunny periods. Isolated flurries. High alpine temperatures of -3 °C. Moderate westerly ridge wind. Freezing level rises to 1800 metres.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Minimize your exposure time below cornices.

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.