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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 20th, 2025–Feb 21st, 2025

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir, Crawford, Moyie.

A bit of snow, some wind and a rise in temperature may increase the likelihood of avalanche activity.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday several small (size 1 to 1.5) natural and human triggered dry loose avalanches were reported running in steep terrain.

Expect wind slab and persistent slab avalanche activity to increase as snow starts to accumulate and the temperature rises on the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 20 cm of snow sits on a layer of surface hoar from the middle of February, or a thin sun crust on steep south-facing slopes.

Below that, 20 to 60 cm of faceted snow overlies a layer of surface hoar buried in late January. It has been most reactive where a slab has formed above this layer. You can read more about slabs in this blog.

The lower snowpack is generally well settled.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 1 to 2 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 2 to 4 cm of snow. 20 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

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.

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.