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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 12th, 2023–Jan 13th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Flathead, Lizard, Moyie.

Continually assess the snowpack for signs of instability with changing weather conditions. Expect hazard to increase with increasing winds and rising freezing levels.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the region.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

The upper snowpack continues to settle and stabilize. A widespread melt-freeze crust is buried by roughly 50 to 90 cm. The crust ranges in thickness from 1 cm at higher elevations to 20 cm thick at lower elevations. The mid-snowpack is generally well consolidated below the crust. A weak layer of large facets and a crust persists down 70 to 150 cm from the surface. The snow below the crust is generally weak and unconsolidated.

Treeline snow depths are roughly 150 to 200 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday night

Cloudy with flurries, 0 to 2 cm. Moderate southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around 0 C.

Friday

Cloudy with trace snow. Moderate southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Freezing levels 2100 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with snow, 5 to 10 cm. Light to moderate southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Freezing levels 1800 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with flurries, 0 to 2 cm. Light south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures 0 to -5 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • The more the snowpack warms-up and weakens, the more conservative you`ll want to be with your terrain selection.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.