Avalanche forecast

Banff Yoho Kootenay

Feb 4 – 5, 2013Parks Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 14 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Warm temps are promoting the failure of cornices throughout the forecast region. Although they have not been triggering avalanches, they can still be problematic if you are parked underneath them. Some chunks are running quite far.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    This winter we have experienced multiple wind slab events. Currently fresh wind slabs are quite touchy, but vary in thickness (20-40cm). In addition to surface wind slabs, older hard wind slabs lurk beneath the surface, but are harder to trigger.

Weather Forecast

A system is moving towards the forecast region. Between tonight and Tuesday expect light accumulations and moderate wind. By Wednesday the storm will intensify and deliver up to 20mm of precip. Expect a steady rise in the danger ratings over the next few days. The temperatures will range between -9 and -15 at 3000m.

Snowpack Summary

Fresh wind slabs of variable thickness sit on top of a faceted snowpack. Expect a weaker and more faceted snowpack in areas with  < 1m of snow. The Jan 6th surface hoar/crust interface is still prevalent in some isolated areas. Today in Kootenay it was found 35cm down. It did not react to skier traffic.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches observed or reported.

Confidence

Track of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Tuesday

Regions covered