Avalanche forecast

Avalanche forecast

Payette Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Natural avalanches are unlikely today, but Human triggered avalanches are possible. Triggering a wind slab in upper elevation terrain is possible, and most likely on Northern and Eastern aspects.  Don't let your guard down, and keep using good, safe travel protocols like exposing only one person at a time to all slopes steeper than 30 degrees.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Triggering a fresh, small wind slab is possible in upper elevation terrain. Wind loaded Northern and Eastern aspects are most likely spots to trigger fresh 1-6 inch wind slabs. Pay attention to clues like rime buildup on the windward side of trees, etching on the snow surface, and cornice lips that indicate which direction the wind has been blowing the snow as SE through West aspects can still have this problem.

    Yesterday South winds were blowing just enough snow to keep this problem around, and we got a report of a Natural avalanche (R1D1.5) just South of Tamarack in the Poison Creek drainage on a NE aspect just below the cornices.

    (1/10/2022)

    Natural activity on a NE aspect in the Poison Creek drainage, Just SW of Lone Tree and Tamarack Resort was reported Monday 1/10

    Photo: Public

Avalanche Discussion

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Southern winds are continuing to find just enough snow for transporting and forming shallow wind slabs and keeping our sunny days cool along with filtered cloud cover. Yesterday, touring Granite Mountain, we noticed that despite the sunny skies, the snow surface was staying cool and not really getting heated enough to form a crust. Rime was and had been falling off trees and making the snow surface interesting and variable in places that are exposed to the wind. Southern winds also did a good job of putting a stout wind effect on the Surface of SW and Western slopes. 

Our snowpack is fairly right-side-up and strong. Our tests have shown compression failures in the upper 2 feet of the snowpack, but lack propagation in extended column tests...We do have a lot of surface hoar developing that could be the next problem with added snow---does not seem likely soon, so it may go away with time and wind and Sun? Lower elevation, protected areas may be able to protect and preserve the surface hoar?