Avalanche forecast

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Human-triggered wet avalanches are possible anywhere you encounter wet, sloppy snow. On slopes with cold, dry snow, it's possible to trigger a large, destructive slide on weak snow layers in the upper few feet of the snowpack. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    Human-triggered wet loose avalanches are possible on steep slopes with soft and unsupportable snowpacks. If the sun melts any surface crusts that formed overnight, you or your machine could fall into a soggy mess. Many wet loose avalanches have gouged down near the ground on slopes with thin snowpacks (less than about 3 feet thick). The majority of natural wet loose activity has occurred on rocky, W-S-E facing slopes.

    Managing this problem is straightforward: If you're sinking into a wet, mushy snowpack, stay off steep slopes and out from beneath them. Pay attention to the terrain above you and minimize the time you spend on or beneath steep slopes receiving direct sunlight. Even small wet avalanches are surprisingly powerful.ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION: Many slopes are saturated with meltwater. In the past week, we've observed several natural and human-triggered wet slab avalanches (view Avalanches here). These avalanches are unpredictable, and a thin surface crust will not eliminate the chances of triggering one. Today's cooler weather will slow meltwater production, but we can't take this problem off the table until the snowpack has solidly refrozen. 

    (3/19/2024) Track of a large avalanche that was intentionally triggered by throwing a rock at a slope. This slide started on a SW aspect around 9,700' near Galena Summit. Photo: Ben VandenBos

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    It's possible to trigger a large, destructive, Persistent Slab avalanche where the snow surface has remained dry. These slides would fail on persistent weak layers (crusts, crusts and facets, or facets) in the middle or bottom of the snowpack. You're most likely to trigger one of these avalanches in steep, rocky, heavily wind-affected terrain. Here, thin areas of the snowpack make avalanches easier to trigger.

    Persistent Slab avalanches can release in surprising ways. You can trigger them from flat or low-angle terrain long distances away from steep slopes, and they can break far above you. Before triggering an avalanche, you may not experience snowpack collapsing or other obvious signs of instability.

    (3/14/2024) Crowns of natural slab avalanches on Galena Peak. NW-W aspects near 9900'. Photo: Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Today's small storm marks the transition away from days of hot and dry weather. The storm will not bring new avalanche problems; rather, it will help slow the effects of the recent meltdown. Cooler mountain temperatures and breezy wind will curb meltwater production at the surface, especially in the alpine. This is a step in the right direction, but we cannot rule out wet avalanches until the snowpack has drained or is solidly refrozen. Last night, many locations recorded their warmest overnight temperatures of the week. We'll need to see solid overnight freezes before we can put wet avalanche problems in the rearview.

Regions covered