Avalanche forecast

East Cabinet Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The storm that exited the area Wednesday morning left us with 6-12" of cohesive snow that still has the potential to be triggered and cause soft slab avalanches in steep terrain Saturday. Slopes steeper than 35 degrees will have the highest potential for human triggered avalanches, especially in wind loaded terrain. The potential for a slope to avalanche today will likely reveal itself in the surface of the snowpack, pay attention to cracking and shearing under your skis or machine in steep terrain to assess the avalanche potential of this new snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    On Thursday we observed the most recent storm snow consisting of 6-12", was still reactive underfoot at all elevations above 4,000'. The upper layer is very cohesive and fractured off easily in steep terrain and when making switchbacks on the way up. The new snow is most reactive and dangerous on north and east aspects where it was loaded in by southwest winds during the storm. We also observed multiple recent natural soft slab avalanches in steep terrain on all aspects. The only locations we did not observe this to be an issue was at the top of the peaks where the new snow had been blown off of south-westerly aspects during the storm. This new snow is resting on a very obvious density change (firm snow on top of soft snow.) This density change has made the new slow to bond; but, it is becoming less likely to trigger with each passing day.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–3

    We continue to see failures in our stability tests on the crust layer that developed during the warm, rainy spell of January 13th. Cold temperatures January 28th through the 31st created a temperature gradient that left us with some very weak and sugary snow crystals on this crust layer. Last week stability tests were propagating with moderate force, yesterday the tests were failing with hard force and showing improvements in strength. We have been referring to this as a "low-likelihood/high consequence" kind of scenario. Triggering this weak layer would likely be a matter of finding the right spot in the snowpack, such as a thin area in steep and convex terrain.

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