Avalanche forecast

Swan Range

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Warm temperatures and intense spring sunshine may cause large wet avalanches on steep slopes. Move to less steep or more shaded terrain if you notice fresh rollerballs and mushy, unsupportable snow. Avoid traveling under hazards like cornices, glide cracks, or rock faces that have not yet shed the recent snow. 

Our last scheduled daily forecast is Monday, April 7th. We will continue to produce snowpack updates twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2.5

    Today will be warmer and clearer than yesterday.  This may increase the size and likelihood of wet snow avalanches. Snow shedding from trees and rock faces or fresh rollerballs on steep slopes are signs of warming. Slides could entrain 1 to 2 feet of snow above the stout late-March crust. This crust will provide a suitable sliding surface, allowing avalanches to travel further than you expect and possibly into lower elevations. 

    Plan ahead so that you are not traveling under steep slopes while they are receiving direct sunlight. If you start slogging through mushy snow, it's time to move to a shadier slope or lower-angle terrain without overhead hazards. Natural and human-triggered loose dry avalanches are possible on very steep and shaded alpine slopes. 

    (2/5/2025)

    Steep rocky slopes will be the first to produce natural wet loose activity.

    Photo: Flathead Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

A mid-morning surge in cloud cover was an unexpected, but much-appreciated gift yesterday. This slowed warming, postponed the impending wet-loose cycle, and gave us an extra day of stellar riding conditions. Observations from the Swan and Flathead Ranges reported small to large natural and human-triggered loose dry avalanches on steep slopes (Aeneas Ridge, Wahoo, Central Flathead, Essex). The snow surface was only slightly moistened and/or crusted on solar aspects.

Sadly, yesterday’s stroke of luck only delayed the inevitable. High pressure strengthens this weekend, bringing greater confidence in warming temperatures and clearing skies. Any dry snow that was spared yesterday will only add to today's wet loose hazard. Slopes facing north and northeast may escape today’s warming and will harbor the most enjoyable riding conditions. However, keep in mind that it is still possible to trigger sluffs in the dry snow on steep shaded slopes.  These can be dangerous if you are knocked off your line and carried through trees, over a cliff, or deposited in a terrain trap.

Cold overnight temperatures make glide crack and cornice failure unlikely today. However, it is needlessly risky to travel under these hazards, especially during the heat of the afternoon. Glide cracks have been reported on all aspects but are mostly concentrated on slopes facing west, south, and southeast. Cornice loom on ridgelines above slopes facing north and east.

Regions covered