Avalanche forecast

East Cabinet Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Triggering a small Wet Loose avalanche at elevations below 6,000' will be possible in steep terrain on Friday. A quick moving cold front will enter the area Friday afternoon. This weather transition will decrease the potential for Wet Loose avalanches as the upper snowpack locks back together. Predicted snowfall and increasing southwesterly winds have the potential to create reactive pockets of wind slab near ridgelines by Saturday morning.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    It may be possible to trigger a Wet Loose avalanche in terrain steeper than 35 degrees at elevations below 6,000' today. Temperatures remained above the freezing mark last night at all snotel locations, these conditions will keep the upper snowpack loose, slushy and available to produce small avalanches in steep terrain. The potential to trigger a small Wet Loose avalanche will decrease as the day progresses and a cold front moves into the area this afternoon. You can avoid this issue by minimizing your exposure to steep chutes and gullies at tree line and below.

Avalanche Discussion

It was another grim week for our mountain snowpack. We picked up close to an inch of rain on Tuesday through Wednesday in the mountains accompanied by warm temperatures. Observations show that it rained up to 7,000' in the Cabinets and saturated the upper 2-3 inches of the snowpack. This all equates to less snow and eventually another crust layer at all elevations. While touring around in the East Cabinets on Thursday we observed evidence of small Wet Loose avalanches on all aspects below 7,000' in steep terrain. We observed at least one larger "climax avalanche" that had released on a rock slab bed surface that was triggered by a Wet Loose avalanche as it travelled down the slope (see photo). As I mentioned above, the weather will be going through a transition today and the avalanche problems will transition with the weather. Colder temperatures, moderate snowfall and stronger winds rolling in from the southwest will eliminate the current snowpack issues that we normally see in March and April. By Saturday morning the upper snowpack should be locked back together with the lower temperatures. With new snow and winds however, I would stay alert to the potential of triggering small wind slabs near ridgeline on Saturday and Sunday as new pockets of wind slab may develop during this weather transition.

In regard to our snowpack as a whole, it remains thin but generally stable as we lack any current layers that are showing the potential to cause a slab avalanche at this time. Stability tests failed to produce any concerning results this past week. The skiing and riding conditions aren't the greatest out there and I am still hitting lots of buried obstacles on my way out each day, which remains my primary safety concern.

The next forecast will be out on December 26th!!

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