Avalanche forecast

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

As the storm intensifies, avalanches will become likely in new and wind-drifted snow, especially as you climb higher in elevation. Expect increasing sensitivity and growing avalanche size through the day. Seek out lower-angle, sheltered terrain to find great riding and safer conditions.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Put the full suite of new snow problems on your radar today. Storm slabs, wind slabs, and dry loose avalanches will all be in play anywhere you find 6–8” or more of new snow. Wind-loaded slopes will hold the greatest hazard, but don’t let your guard down in sheltered terrain—reactive slabs can still develop there.

    Avalanches may fail within the new snow, at the new/old interface, or just above a slick crust beneath Sunday/Monday’s snow—adding an extra 4–8” of depth. By the end of the day, slabs could reach few feet thick in wind-loaded start zones. With weak snow and crusts in the upper snowpack, slides may propagate wider than you might expect. 

    Assess sensitivity by digging quick hand pits down to the most recent crust and by stomping on small, safe slopes (with a spotter). Shooting cracks from your feet or machine are a clear sign of unstable slabs—expect similar conditions on nearby slopes. With heavy snowfall and limited visibility, it’s a good day to avoid wind-loaded terrain altogether and stick to lower-angle, sheltered slopes. I’d go looking for some great powder riding in the forest.

    Dry LooseExpect loose snow avalanches on steep slopes today. On solar aspects, new snow falling on a crust could produce fast-moving sluffs that run farther than expected. On shaded slopes, even small sluffs may entrain older snow and run on the 3/29 crust. Manage your sluff carefully—don’t let it knock you off your feet in consequential terrain.

    This skier triggered avalanche was from early January this season. Accumulating storm snow today may make for similar size avalanches to this one. 

    Photo: Flathead Avalanche Center

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    The January Drought Layer still lurks deep in the snowpack on some upper-elevation, shaded slopes. The good news is that multiple crusts and thick slabs sit above it, making human-triggering unlikely. You’ll likely need to be above 6,500–7,000 feet—possibly higher in the Flathead Range—to even find where it remains a concern. If it does release today, it would most likely be triggered by a new snow avalanche stepping down.

    With active wind slab formation near upper-elevation ridgelines, there’s little reason to stack a low-probability, high-consequence problem on top. Better, safer options exist, so it’s wise to stay clear of steep slopes above 6,500’ on northwest–northeast–southeast aspects while the storm plays out.

    (3/31/2026) 

    A widely propagating persistent slab avalanche that failed in the last couple weeks. 

    Photo: Michael Reavis

Avalanche Discussion

Today’s forecast depends on how this storm unfolds. If snow lands as expected, I expect dangerous avalanche conditions to develop—particularly in the Swan Range. In the Whitefish and Flathead Ranges, only the higher end of forecast totals will likely produce avalanches in sheltered terrain; otherwise, wind slabs will be the primary concern.

Surface conditions add another layer of uncertainty. Cam found nascent surface hoar in the Swan Range on Tuesday, and both he and Mike (in the Flathead Range) noted faceted, recycled powder on shaded slopes. These observations suggest the potential for some spicy avalanche conditions. On the other hand, warm, wet weather overnight may help the new snow bond to the old surface, especially near 6500’ and below.

Either way, with a proper storm day upon us, it’s a good idea to keep it mellow in the trees and enjoy this extra dose of winter. The riding should be great!

________________________________________________________

This week—our last week of daily forecasts for the 2025–26 winter—we’re highlighting people, teams, and organizations that have contributed notably to Flathead Avalanche’s work and products, and supported the forecast team through a challenging and, hopefully, unusual winter.

Volunteer Field Partners:We conduct nearly all of our fieldwork with a partner. While we often team up with fellow forecasters, a small group of skilled, generous volunteers helps fill out our field partner schedule. They give up a day of mountain play to wrestle snowmobiles, dig pits, stomp on test slopes, bushwhack through alder, and film our many takes at producing a decent video. We’re grateful to Lydia Willoughby, Erich Peitzsch, Zack Gidley, and Mike Bussard, for their time, stoke, and mountain companionship.

Observation Contributors:With a 1.2 million-acre advisory area, our forecasts depend on observations from the public. A special shoutout to our most frequent contributors (5+ observations this season): Chris Gotschalk, Lydia Willoughby, David Steele, Jeremy Primmer, Kat Gebauer, Max Millington, Mike Bussard, and Scott Freeman—thanks so much for taking the time. Your backcountry community is grateful.

We’re also especially grateful to those who reported near-misses and incidents. These hard-to-share experiences help us learn as a community and increase the odds that we all come home safe from the mountains.              

Regions covered