Avalanche forecast

Silver Valley & Bitterroot Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a wind slab is likely on slopes over 30 degrees, especially near ridgelines. New snow coupled with consistent southwest/west winds will create cohesive slabs in wind affected areas. Careful snowpack evaluation and cautious route finding should be practiced on all mid and upper elevation slopes. 

  Anticipate avalanche danger to rise on Wednesday as another storm rolls into the mountains Tuesday night through Thursday.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Upper elevations have received over a foot of new snow, accompanied with moderate to strong winds, since last Sunday morning. On Sunday, ridge line wind speeds reached 49mph and since then the winds have been blowing strong enough to transport snow and form cohesive wind slabs. With winds primarily coming from the southwest and west, you can expect to find the most reactive wind slabs below north-east facing slopes below ridge lines. Steep gullies that have been exposed to cross loading and convex rollerovers are examples of other terrain features where you could find slabs that are easy to trigger. Textured or scalloped snow surfaces are a good indication that wind has affected that terrain. 

     Careful snowpack evaluation and cautious route-finding should be practiced on all mid and upper elevation slopes. 

Avalanche Discussion

A much-needed storm arrived on Saturday night and has since delivered over a foot of new snow to the mountains. This storm arrived with strong winds, and the winds have been blowing consistently strong enough to disturb the new snow and form cohesive winds slabs. Steep slopes that have had favored new snow totals that haven't been affected by the wind will be places that you could still encounter and trigger a slab avalanche. Any slope that is over 30 degrees should be approached with caution and carefully evaluated. With such impressive snow totals, really great riding conditions can be found in less than 30-degree terrain in the trees.

Right before the storm arrived, rain and warm weather created a widespread melt freeze crust on all aspects. This crust is identifiable in snow pits, but might not be felt when skiing and riding. We haven't seen this crust show consistant propagation, but with more and weight and a bigger slab developing over top of it, it is worth keeping an eye on.

The storm isn't over yet, and on Wednesday into Thursday we see snow totals increase, along with the winds and temperatures. If all of this pans out, expect the avalanche danger and the likelihood of triggering an avalanche to increase as we move further into the week and the storm unfolds. 

Regions covered