Avalanche forecast

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You can warm your bones, soak up some vitiman D, and enjoy good travel conditions in the mountains today. Move out from under open glide cracks. Stay alert for small, isolated avalanche hazards that can have outsized consequences in steep terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

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

    Conditions are increasingly favorable for glide cracks to fail, producing large avalanches that involve the entire season's snowpack. Freezing levels will again climb to roughly 6000 feet and with partly sunny skies, the snowpack will receive plenty of direct solar radiation on steep, southerly slopes. This heat and energy can accelerate creep and glide and the likelihood of slabs failing. 

    Reducing your exposure to this hazard is straightforward: stay out from under open cracks. 

    (1/19/2025)

    A yawning crack on a southerly slope in the southern Whitefish Range.

    Photo: Flathead Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Today will be another great day for travel in the mountains - mild temperatures, partly sunny skies, moderate winds, and mostly stable conditions. Avoid slopes below open glide cracks and stay alert for a few small and isolated avalanche hazards.

Loose snow sluffs: on sunny slopes, these will involve wet snow. On shaded slopes, cohesionless facets. Neither flavor is likely to entrain much snow. Manage them by riding so that they run past you. Getting knocked off your machine or feet is when they turn serious.

Cornice Fall: The heat and radiation may be destabilizing cornices. Avoid traveling under these for extended periods.

Wind Slabs: Freshly-deposited pockets of wind-blown snow may be surprisingly sensitive to the weight of a person or snowmachine, because they're resting on very weak snow. Triggered slabs may be thin but break widely; in steep terrain, these can have consequences. 

Yes, that's a long list for a low hazard day. Each of these will be hard to find and generally small. 

Changing Conditions Ahead:

The recent dry, stable conditions come to an end this weekend, as a fast-paced progression of weather systems buffets the region. Expect the avalanche danger to increase, perhaps dramatically. Cam's video (below) is a good overview of the potential problems of significant snowfall on our current snow surfaces. 

Upcoming Events:

Interested in upping your skills? Check out our events calendar! There is a Ladies Intro to Avalanches course on Saturday, February 1st.

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