Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 20th, 2026–Mar 21st, 2026

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

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Uncertainty remains on how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength. Check out our new conditions video for more details.

Confidence

Low

We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.
We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday and Thursday, numerous small (size 1), wet loose avalanches were reported across the forecast area.

Snowpack Summary

As temperatures drop on Saturday, a widespread melt-freeze crust is expected to form on the surface of the snowpack. Prior to this, the surface snow was saturated on all aspects and elevations. With the recent prolonged warm temperatues and rainfall, the whole snowpack is settling rapidly and getting shallower.

A widespread crust buried earlier in March can be found down 70 cm. Layers of facets, crust, and surface hoar from February and January can be found just below this crust. While you may still find these layers in the snowpack, the likelihood of failures on these layers is expected to be very low as temperatures drop this weekend.

The remainder of the snowpack is well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Sunday
Mostly sunny. 1 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Monday
Mostly sunny. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

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.

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.