Avalanche forecast

Banner Summit

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago.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

Highlights

Expect generally safe avalanche conditions. Cool temperatures will greatly decrease the chance of wet avalanches. If you do happen to find areas where you're still sinking into a wet, mushy snowpack head for cooler, more supportable slopes.

Our last daily Backcountry Avalanche Forecast will be this Sunday, April 11th.

Avalanche Discussion

Hitting Reset

Temperatures are forecast to cool throughout the day as a cold front crosses the area. Lows in the single digits tonight will officially put wet avalanche concerns to bed (for the time being).

Yesterday, I found wet, mushy snow at low elevations and on steep slopes that faced the sun. I would have avoided steep terrain on sunny slopes later that afternoon when the liquid water content of the snowpack was near its peak. Similar conditions were reported by professionals in the Smokys and the Boulders. 

Following the peak of instability yesterday afternoon, the snowpack has steadily gained strength. Why? Because the liquid water content of the snowpack is decreasing as meltwater drains from the snow, or is refrozen into thick crusts near the snow surface. Wind, cloudier skies, and cold temperatures today will help keep surface crusts intact, or in some locations, make them thicker and stronger throughout the day. 

Unlike an average spring day when the threat of wet avalanches increases in the afternoon, today it's the opposite. If you're out and about early this morning, you may still be able to find snow that is warm and mushy. For example, temperatures near both Fleck and Banner Summits remained near freezing, and radiational cooling of the snow surface may have been further hampered by passing clouds. If you find areas with an unsupportable surface crust, simply move to cooler snow. Chances are, however, that most snow surfaces will already be locked up tight.

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