Avalanche forecast

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Isolated wind slabs may form near ridgelines in a few exposed locations, and even small slides can have serious outcomes in complex terrain. Watch for active drifting and stick to slopes that minimize exposure. Freezing fog, poor visibility, and a warming trend could make travel challenging today.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    At a few outlier locations with stronger winds near ridgelines, you may encounter a wind slab problem today.

    • Where: Lee slopes near ridges, saddles, and tops of gullies, including areas like the runs down to Picnic Lake in the Jewel Basin, or the sidehills under Hash Mountain.
    • What: Small soft wind slabs are possible. These are not expected to be widespread and would likely be shallow with limited propagation, making consequences highly terrain-dependent.
      • Where present, slabs will be forming in real time. Blowing snow is a clear sign of active wind transport and increasing hazard. Textured surfaces and pillow-like drifts are also signs the wind has been at work, but limited visibility may make it hard to notice much on the snow surface today.
    • Red flags: Shooting cracks from your feet or machine indicate instability. If you see them, move to lower-angle terrain and/or choose slopes with clean runouts and no terrain traps.

    Additional concern: If you find both the snow and wind bullseye and encounter harder slabs deeper than about 8”, add an extra margin of safety. Some wind slabs may cap preserved weak surfaces, allowing for wider propagation given a stouter slab.

    This photo from 2023 shows an example of a soft wind slab that you may encounter today. 

    Photo: Woody

Avalanche Discussion

With only a few inches of dense snow (0.05–0.4” SWE) in the forecast and sustained winds just approaching transport speeds, we do not expect avalanches large enough to bury or injure a person today. With that, consequences should be at the front of your mind when planning your travel. Even small avalanches can have serious outcomes if they occur above cliffs, gullies, trees, or other terrain traps.

Outside of the wind zone, two additional avalanche problems may show up today, though any potential release should be small.

Storm slabs:

New snow is falling alongside a warming trend, so cracking is possible on sheltered slopes. However, with these storm totals, any slab is unlikely to propagate widely. In the unlikely event you find more than about 6” of new snow, add an extra margin of safety.

Wet loose:

This problem should be limited to low- and mid-elevation slopes that have remained cold and shaded over the past few days. If liquid water (i.e., rain) falls onto a previously cold, dry snowpack, expect small wet loose avalanches. While generally minor, crusts beneath the snow could allow these slides to run farther than expected.

Current Conditions:

This week, mountain travelers found good riding on shaded slopes, small wet avalanches and surface crusts on solar aspects, and a generally stable upper snowpack. Weak surfaces (surface hoar galore!) are widespread on shaded terrain, and this storm set-up (light winds and a bit of new snow) may preserve and cap these weak layers ahead of a more significant load next week. This is unlikely to be an issue today unless you find a thicker slab near the ridge, but it is something to monitor closely as slab depth and stiffness increase in the coming days.

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