Avalanche forecast

Silver Valley & Bitterroot Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Fluctuating rain lines during the most recent warm and wet storm mean only the upper most peaks in the Silver Valley-Bitterroot zone received small amounts of new snow. Strong to extreme winds from the southwest will redistribute any available new snow above tree line into shallow slabs, while above freezing temperatures and rain increase the potential for wet snow problems at middle elevations. Expect conditions to change with elevation and seek lower angle slopes if you sink into wet unsupportable snow to your boot top or experience shooting cracks on the surface.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    After a return of rain and above freezing temperatures in the last 24 hours snow surfaces are expected to have softened today. Steep slopes where you can push wet, unconsolidated snow downhill have potential to grow larger in size and entrain additional snow volume. In locations where an inch or more of rain has softened or penetrated the surface crust, liquid water could affect deeper layers, increasing the chance of a small wet loose slide stepping down into a large wet slab avalanche.

    Pay attention to changing surface conditions and be ready to adjust your travel choices to lower angles and less consequential slopes. Be wary of lingering in depressions or other terrain traps since small slides can become more problematic when wet debris piles up deeper than expected.

    The snowpack was saturated when this avalanche failed, which caused the debris to run a long way downhill and pick up more snow along the way with it. Small trees were flattened, and large trees were shifted sideways from the weight of snow. 

    March 22, 2026. 

    Photo: Izzy Davis

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Strong winds out of the southwest will have plenty of power to transport new snow into slabs on the lee side of ridges and terrain features. Significantly larger overnight snow totals in the Selkirks and Cabinets mean this problem is most likely confined to the northern regions, but be weary anywhere you find snow drifts approaching a foot deep or more. Classic tell tale signs of wind slabs are surface snow density changes and pillows of snow with a Styrofoam like texture, as well as cracks that extend from your skis or sleds. Be heads up in wind sheltered areas where 6 inches, or more, of new snow rests on a stout crust, the conditions that could lead to a small storm slab avalanche that could sweep you off your feet. If you encounter these at the top of a slope, reroute to lower angles and less consequential terrain.

    A textured surface, shooting cracks, and a transition from soft snow to denser snow are all clues that the wind has stiffened the new snow into cohesive slabs. 

    January 12, 2026.

    Photo: Izzy Davis

Avalanche Discussion

A warm, wet system moved in on Tuesday, delivering a mixed bag of precipitation and strong to extreme winds. Conditions are variable across the mountains, and even though the rain line has been fluctuating, the northern ranges received more snow than the mountains in the southern end of the forecast area. Regardless, rain and above-freezing temperatures impacted middle and lower elevations across the whole region.

Very little precipitation is forecasted to fall during the day, but temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 30s Fahrenheit, and the winds will continue to be elevated. Ridge top gusts will push 40 to 50mph from the southwest. Another band of moisture will target the Silver Valley-Bitterroots and Cabinet Mountains tonight before a ridging pattern brings in several days of mostly dry weather. Forecasted totals tonight look light- a couple of inches of snow in those favored places, and a quarter inch of rain.

Generally, the further north you go in the forecast area, the more snow you can expect to find at upper elevations. Around 6 inches of new snow in the previous 24 hours has been getting redistributed from the strong winds, and slabs will continue to grow today. Leeward sides of ridges and steep rocky terrain features will harbor the largest and most reactive drifts, which will grow to be around one to two feet deep. Because this recent snow is falling on a crust, slabs may be reactive in more wind-sheltered places as well. Watch for shooting cracks on the surface, no matter where you are on the slope, especially if you encounter storm totals of 6 inches or greater.

The snow quality and avalanche problem will vary with elevation, so be prepared to identify those changes as you gain and lose vert while moving in the mountains. Rain-saturated snow will bring wet snow problems to the table again. Wet, loose snow will be most reactive on steep slopes near rock bands and gullies, but can happen on any aspect. Moisture deeper down in the snowpack has been pooling at weaker layers, and warming temperatures today could cause slabs to spontaneously release.

With a variety of conditions existing all at once, be heads up if you get out and recreate today. Be on the lookout for changes at the surface, and default to lower-angle slopes if you see signs of instability at any elevation.

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