Avalanche forecast

Whitefish Range

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Dangerous avalanche conditions continue due to warm temperatures, rain, and a weak snowpack. The avalanche danger will increase with elevation, where more snow exists. Being caught in a wet avalanche today may have a consequential outcome. Stick to low-angle slopes free of overhead hazards.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

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

    Between one and three inches of rain fell on Tuesday in the Whitefish Range. Rain, and continued warm temperatures allowed liquid water to move through the snowpack. Avalanches may fail as slabs, or as loose wet. Regardless, avalanches will entrain wet, heavy snow as they move down the mountain. Being caught in a small or large wet avalanche today may have a consequential outcome. The surfire way to avoid this problem is to stay out of, and out from underneath steep terrain.

Avalanche Discussion

Warm, windy, and wet paints a clear picture of the last 24 hours. Temperatures at 7000 feet climbed to almost 40 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday (Tuesday). Grave Creek Snotell in the northern Whitefish Range tallied up three inches of precipitation, and Flattop Snotell in central Glacier National Park picked up 1.5 inches of precipitation. Unfortunately, this fell in the form of rain. Snowpack heights dropped three to seven inches throughout the forecast area. The Flathead Range and the Swan Range received significantly less precipitation.

Liquid water moving through the snowpack remains the primary concern. Weak layers buried midpack and near the ground may collapse, causing a slab avalanche. We listed Wet Slab in the Whitefish Range due to the amount of rain that fell yesterday (Tuesday). This rain likely caused the entire snowpack to become very wet. The Swan and Flathead Ranges may still have a dry mid pack above roughly 6000 feet, which is why Persistent Slab remains a problem in those ranges.

Avalanches today will likely gouge down and entrain the season's snowpack. Although slides may not be very large, even a small wet avalanche can have a consequental outcome. This is especially true for this time of season where stumps, rocks, and logs are buried just below the surface.

If you plan to go out in the mountains today, I suggest making a plan that does not involve entering avalanche terrain, especially above 6000 feet where the snowpack deepens. This includes walking or riding on flat ground below large avalanche paths. The risk-to-reward ratio simply does not pencil out today.

Regions covered