Avalanche forecast

Selkirk Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago.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

Highlights

Generally safe conditions exist, but warmer temperatures last night will allow for snow surfaces to soften earlier in the day. Wet snow hazards are expected to be small and more likely be encountered on southern facing sunny slopes. Monitor how deeply you are sinking into wet or slushy snow and move to shadier slopes or lower angle terrain if you find that you can step into saturated snow to your boot top.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Temperatures last night remained above freezing in most areas, and snow surfaces could soften quicker due to a lack of a hard refreeze. Earlier this week, the snowpack experienced a true springtime diurnal cycle with overnight freezes and daytime warming. This process has limited the upper snowpack to small wet loose avalanche hazard depending on slope steepness, sun exposure, and time of day.

    Pay attention to changing snow surfaces and softening, and if you find 6 inches or more of wet unsupportable snow, move to lower angle or shadier slopes. Expected avalanche size is small, but wet snow avalanches can be more consequential and hazardous in areas where they might carry you toward or into terrain traps like narrow ravines with steep sidewalls, cliff bands, abrupt slope angle transitions, or dense timber.

    The chances of encountering loose wet snow hazards will increase during the day as sun exposure and ambient air temperatures increase. Observing snow shed around cliff bands and rock features is one of your first clues that this problem is developing.

    West Cabinet Mountains. March 26,  2026.

    Photo: Chris Bilbrey

Avalanche Discussion

Now that spring has been well underway, the snowpack has benefited from consecutive diurnal cycles. The succession of below-freezing conditions at night, followed by warming in the daytime driven by increased sun exposure and warm temperatures, has allowed the snowpack to stabilize. While running into wet avalanches is not impossible, the freeze-thaw cycles have influenced the upper snowpack to the point where hazards will be small and isolated.

Last night, ambient air temperatures were warmer than the previous days, and many weather stations this morning remained above freezing. A high-pressure system overhead created a temperature inversion, and stations at higher elevations were warmer than those at lower elevations. Without a solid overnight freeze, snow surfaces have a good shot at softening more quickly when the sun comes out. Under these conditions, it’s best practice to get an earlier start to the day and plan a route that will favor north aspects once the sun softens the surface.

Snow coverage below tree line varies, but is largely quite shallow or nonexistent. The season of approach shoes and muddy booting is upon us. Once you gain elevation and near the 5,000-foot mark, the snowpack depth becomes exponentially better.

While you’re traveling in the mountains and the snowpack deepens, watch for changes below your feet. As the intensifying spring sun moistens the surface snow, monitoring the depth of your boot penetration can be a good gauge for slope and aspect selection. Once you reach the point that you’re stepping into wet snow near the top of your boot, it’s time to target shadier and more supportable aspects or move to lower-angle terrain altogether. Keep your eye out for cliff bands above your route where snow could shed onto you, and limit exposure below large cornices or overhanging blocks of snow.

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