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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 22nd, 2026–Feb 23rd, 2026

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

Regions

Purcells, Flathead, Lizard, Crawford, Moyie, St. Mary.

Stick to conservative, low consequence terrain.

Storm snow and strong wind are weakening a concerning upper snowpack, human triggered avalanches are likely as a result.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how persistent slabs will react to the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

Over the past few days numerous natural storm slabs up to size 3 were reported. These avalanches occurred predominantly on northerly aspects at treeline and above.

One notable remotely triggered avalanche was reported in the Flathead. This avalanche is a good indicator of a weak snowpack as it was triggered from 75 m away. Check out the MIN report for more details.

Snowpack Summary

By Monday afternoon up to 20 cm of fresh snow is expected. This new snow will be accompanied by strong southwest wind forming deeper deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain it will overlie a layer of surface hoar or a sun crust.

A couple concerning weak layers exist in the upper snowpack:

  • 60 cm deep, there is a supportive crust on south-facing terrain. On north-facing terrain, this layer maybe a breakable crust or surface hoar.

  • The late January layer is buried 60 to 100 cm deep. It consists of a crust with facets or surface hoar above it.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday
Cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 1 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Keep your guard up at lower elevations. Storms slabs have been reactive at all elevations.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • It's a good day to make conservative terrain choices.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.

Problems

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.