Avalanche forecast

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

You are unlikely to cause an avalanche as you climb above the clouds today. Move off of - and out from under - steep, sunny slopes if you begin sinking into a wet snow surface. Steer around wind-sculpted surfaces, especially in extreme terrain. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Yesterday (Wednesday) a party in Glacier National Park noted a handful of natural small to large (D1-D2) wet loose avalanches on steep solar aspects. Evidently, the weak December sun can still pack a punch.  

    • Expect this hazard to be short-lived during the late morning and early afternoon and confined to Southerly aspects at mid- and upper- elevations. Note that high cloud and surface crusts could slow warming.
    • Monitor the snow surface on sunny slopes and consider moving to less steep or more shaded slopes if the snow becomes wet and mushy. 
    • Pinwheels and rollerballs (pictured to the right) are signs of impending loose wet slides.
    • Avalanches could be larger (D2) in the Flathead Range and Glacier National Park, where it is forecasted to be warmer.

    (12/2/2024) Treebombs and pinwheels on southerlies. Photo: Jackson George

Avalanche Discussion

Any avalanche problems you encounter today ought to be small and/or short lived. Keep them in mind if your plans include extreme terrain as even small slides can have outsized consequences if you are knocked off your line.

We removed wind slab from the list of problems as winds continue to taper off and melt-freeze crusts on windward slopes limits the amount of snow available for transport. Observations from yesterday (Wednesday) noted “wind-sculpted” snow at upper elevations but found drifts to be unreactive to the weight of a human. However, you can continue to widen your margin for safety (or increase your likelihood of riding soft snow) by steering around obvious signs of wind-loading like dune-shaped features or scalloped surfaces.

Recent observations in all three zones have featured surface hoar, facets and “recycled powder” on shaded slopes.  In some cases this weak surface snow can produce long-running sluffs on steep slopes.  Mostly it’s noteworthy as it could become a layer of concern once we start stacking snow on top of it.  

Did you hear about the app? You can now access forecasts, observations, and weather data for our region directly from the Avy App (IOS; Android). Many features are accessible offline, so you can win  debates about the avalanche problems right in the backcountry, or submit an obs while you're driving home. 

Registration is open for this season's avalanche courses. Get some learning done!  There's an Avalanche Awareness class  Wednesday December 11th at 6:00pm at the Stonefly Lounge in Coram.

Regions covered