Avalanche forecast

Avalanche forecast

Payette Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

You could trigger a dry loose avalanche or sluff within the upper foot of the snowpack on slopes steeper than 30 degrees.  Recent variable gusty winds make triggering a fresh wind slab 6-12 inches deep possible. 

Use best travel protocols like spreading out 1 at a time on slopes steep enough to slide or steeper than 30 degrees.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Use caution on slopes steeper than 35 degrees as the snow may move with you and could knock you off your snow bike or skis or whatever you slide on!

     Confined, steep, or extreme terrain is going to be most dangerous with sluff management techniques being prudent. 

    (1/8/2025) Photo: George Halcom

    The upper 6-12 inches of the snowpack is soft with large surface hoar crystals being buried by very light snow on Wednesday.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Windslabs that have formed over the last 24 hours should be small and managable . East and Northern winds have pushed very small amounts of snow around...this may mask older wind sculpted snow.

    Winds out of the Southwest drove snow loading during the majority of our last storm that laid down 2 feet of snow and formed slabs and created Natural avalanches On East and North aspects at upper elevations. Thesse  deeper, older wind slabs in leeward terrain are stabilizing with triggering becoming unlikely yet not impossible. 

Avalanche Discussion

North winds should help keep the solar effect low under sunny skies Thursday and wet loose solar induced avalanches should be minimal. Our lower snowpack has stabilized and now our upper snowpack has some weaknesses that could get tested with more snow load. All of the test pits we have seen this week have shown faceting in and around the rain crust that formed last weekend, buried now a foot deep. The weather forecast is not hinting at much more than 6 inches of snow over the weekend yet that could become more if under forecasted or if wind sends it all into one place.

This Friday January 10 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm State of the Snowpack at Broken Horn in McCall Broken Horn Brewary 201 S Mission St, McCall, United States

State of the Snowpack at Broken Horn Brewpub in McCall January 10 - 6pm - 8pm Come find out what is going on in the snowpack with the PAC forecasters.  Just how bad/good is it our there?  Broken Horn is a fun, family friendly supporter of the PAC. Support them and order some food and/or […]

Today's advisory is sponsored by Edmark Toyota in Nampa, Idaho. Thank You for supporting the PAC!