Avalanche forecast

Avalanche forecast

Payette Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Wet loose avalanches are possible in the upper 4-6" of the snowpack on slopes steeper than 35 degrees as lower elevation slopes see rain on snow and upper elevations still are not frozen below the new snow.

2-7 inches of new snow and Gusty winds will likely form wind slabs up to a foot and a half thick in leeward terrain that could be sensitive.  Avoid wind-loaded slopes steeper than 30 degrees.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    New snow and Gusty winds are forecasted today and may reach up to 30mph out of the South. 3-7 inches of snow with 30mph gusts may produce natural avalanches and will likely form sensitive slabs in leeward terrain, or mostly NE, N, and NW aspects.

    Avoid wind loaded terrain, especially on steep slopes just below cornices and ridgelines. Use caution on all aspects above 7,000 feet where exposure to the wind has potentially created stiff slabs 1-2 feet thick that may fail under the weight of a person. Look for clues like etching in the snow surface, pillows, or drifts as indicators as to which way a slope has been loaded as local terrain can load slopes differently and the wind may have come from a completely different direction than you are expecting.  

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet snow is going to exist below cold new snow. It may take a few days before the older snow is refrozen, especially below 6,000 feet where warmer temps and rain on snow will further saturate the snow. Slopes steeper than 35 degrees will be potential places to trigger or get a bit of wet snow to run with you. Use extra caution near overhead potential hazard and near terrain traps like cliffs and gullies.

Avalanche Discussion

Our snowpack tests have not shown the potential to propagate failures in the upper 1-2 feet. Up to 2 feet of new snow and winds will be the driver of avalanche problems through the weekend. Wet snow avalanche potential will linger underneath a blanket of fresh snow and slightly fall through the weekend and then return as a player next week as Spring takes over again and lets the Sun warm up the snow to produce wet avalanches.

While we close out the season of avalanche forecasting, avalanche danger will not completely disappear. Take the time to evaluate the snowpack and travel cautiously on slopes steeper than 30 degrees, 1 at a time, and watch your partners from a safe spot well out of the run-out. Continue to do basic good things in the mountains like checking your partners for transceivers and function and making sure everyone in your group has a shovel and probe on their back.

Submitting observations will continue to be an option, and the observations page will be a great place to check during your future pre-trip planning.

Don't miss our end-of-season party at Toll Station Pizza in McCall at 530pm on Friday 4/5. There will be auctions and prizes as well as socializing with awesome people.

Today's advisory is sponsored by Mile High Powersports just South of McCall on Highway 55, Devon and the rest of his awesome staff at Mile High help provide the PAC with a Skidoo 850 to access the mountains! Thanks go out to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and staff for a great season that supports avalanche forecasting in the West Central Mountains!

 

Help us improve avalanche forecasts! CLICK HERE to participate in a 20 minute survey and be entered into a prize drawing. Simon Fraser University is collaborating with US avalanche centers to better understand how useful avalanche forecast information is for trip planning.