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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 14th, 2023–Mar 15th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard.

A warm storm has delivered new snow and strong southwest winds to the region. Use extra caution when transitioning into wind affected terrain, where storm slabs remain reactive to human triggering.

Keep in mind that brief periods of strong solar input could increase natural avalanche activity.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, explosives control produced several storm slab avalanches to size 2.5. Several natural storm slab avalanches were observed to size 2.5 which likely occurred during the storm Monday night.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of moist heavy storm snow overlies a variety of surfaces including wind-affected surfaces in open areas, a sun crust on steep solar aspects, and facetted snow in sheltered areas.

The mid-snowpack is generally well-settled. The lower snowpack includes a layer of weak sugary crystals near the ground. These facets are slowly gaining strength and have not produced recent avalanche activity. We continue to track the layer and watch for any signs that it could wake up and produce very large avalanches.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy. Alpine temperatures reach a low of -7 °C. Ridge wind 10-25 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level drop to the valley bottom.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -4 °C. Ridge wind 20 km/h gusting 40 km/h from the west. Freezing level 1400 meters.

Thursday

Mainly sunny. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -3 °C. Ridge wind variable 10 km/h. Freezing levels rise to 1500 meters.

Friday

Sunny. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -2 °C. Ridge wind southeast 15 km/h. Freezing levels rise to 1700 meters.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
  • Avoid sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if snow is moist or wet

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.