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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 14th, 2023–Feb 17th, 2023

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

Regions

Waterton Lakes, Waterton.

A buried wind slab exists overtop of the January crust. No new natural activity has been seen on this layer however the possibility for a step-down avalanche exists. Choose terrain carefully while the snowpack continues to adjust to the new load.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Several size 1-2 natural avalanches were observed Tuesday from the road. Most of these avalanches appear to be point releases and are running as dry loose, however, 1 size 1 slab avalanche was observed in a treeline feature.

Please share your observations and photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

20-30 cm of fresh snow with light winds Monday day/night sits on top of older wind slabs at treeline and above or on steeper exposed slopes below treeline. Extreme W winds last week may have scoured windward slopes down to the Jan crust. These slopes may now have fresh wind slabs from reverse loading of recent snow and NE winds. The total snow depth above the crust at treeline is approx. 50-70 cm. The crust is widespread and exists up to 2400 m. We are starting to see weak crystals develop above the crust and have observed avalanches Sz 1-2.5 on this layer of concern in the surrounding area.

Weather Summary

Wed

Mostly clear skies with no precip. Temps will hover around -7 in the alpine. Winds M-SW

Thurs

Temps rise to -5 in the alpine under mostly clear skies. Winds increase through the day, S-X from the SW.

Fri

Temps are steady at -5 in the alpine. Overcast with light flurries during the day. Winds decrease slightly to strong from the SW

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent new snow may be hiding windslabs that were easily visible before the snow fell.

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.