Stable weather has provided little opportunity for the snowpack to change. South facing slopes saw some surface melting and ridges saw a limited amount of snow transport, but beyond that, there hasn’t been much change. The most likely place to find avalanche conditions today are still on steep, open and wind loaded faces. Most wind loaded areas will be found below ridges near or above treeline.
Wind has been transporting the same snow back and forth over ridges for the past 2 weeks or so. Shallow wind slabs have formed on wind loaded slopes. Steep, open and wind loaded slopes could produce an avavalanche in isolated areas. If a wind slab does get triggered, there's a good chance it could propagate into a bigger avalanche then anticipated.
Wind effect in the Selkirks
It’s hard to complain about winter sunshine in North Idaho, but I’m getting close! It sure feels like it has been a long time since the Selkirks and Cabinets have received significant snow. High pressure will rebound today and bring a prolonged period of mild and dry weather with areas of morning low clouds and fog. Early next week is our next chance at mountain storms across the zone.
During this period of high pressure, one thing that has helped the snowpack is the air temperature staying cold enough to prevent any drastic changes to the snowpack. This time of year, the sun is still low enough in the sky that it doesn’t shine as intensely on the snow which helps protect the surface from big changes. Hovering in the mid 20’s has not only kept the melt at bay, but also prevented really cold temperatures from creating big changes in the snowpack. Long story short, we’re still not seeing signifigant changes in the snowpack. It’s relatively strong and, in its current condition, it will make a good base for future storms. Cross your fingers that we get into more snow soon!
Check out some of the graphs I included that are related to the watershed. As you can see, the watershed as a whole is still hanging near 100% but that is a little misleading when you look at the SNOTEL sites individually. We’re seeing above average snow in the valleys which is making the upper elevation SNOTEL site percentages look better than they are. The SNOTEL sites at high elevation tell a different story. At high elevations, the Selkirk/Cabinet zone is at about 89% of average. Let’s hope we see those numbers go up as we head into late February and March.
There are still good traveling conditions in the backcountry! This is a great time to practice your skills so you’re sharp when it snows again. Have a great day- Jeff
