Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

May 8 – 9, 2019Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 7 years ago

Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
No rating
Treeline
No rating
Below
No rating

Highlights

This is the last avalanche bulletin for the winter. For current information on avalanche conditions, check Avalanche Canada and the ACMG Mountain Conditions Report, or call 1-888-WARDENS and ask to speak with a Waterton Visitor Safety Technician.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    With rising temperatures forecast over the coming weeks, expect to see an increase in loose wet activity, especially during the heat of the day or periods of rain.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–3

    Deep layers are still responsive to large triggers (think cornices or rain) on high north faces. Though triggering this layer is unlikely, it's not impossible as evidenced by sporadic large avalanches.

Weather Forecast

A current overall weather forecast can be found at: https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast, and local forecasts can be found at https://spotwx.com

Snowpack Summary

In most areas we are seeing a typical spring snowpack (a thick crust that is breaking down during the day over moist snow). The exception is high North facing terrain where weak layers deep on the snowpack have been triggered by cornice fall. See the Avalanche Canada Spring Conditions Guide for detailed information on typical spring scenarios.

Avalanche Summary

Increasing temperatures in the next weeks will lead to increased avalanche activity where and cornice failures where snow remains; especially during the hottest parts of the day, or during periods of rain.

Confidence

Regions covered