Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Glacier National Park
With new snow and warmer temperatures, the snowpack is entering a time of change. Expect buried layers to become more reactive in the coming days.
Avalanche Problem 1: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, or cracking.
- Carefully evaluate terrain features by digging and testing on adjacent, safe slopes.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed yesterday in the highway corridor. A field team on Macdonald West Shoulder was able to ski cut 2 small slabs on the December 15 Surface Hoar Layer in steep, unsupported terrain. Report of a sz 1.5 skier triggered avalanche(30 cm deep) on the Balu Headwall suggests the Dec 27th surface hoar is becoming reactive.
Snowpack Summary
We received 5cm of new snow overnight with moderate alpine winds which burying a thin suncrust on solar asps. Dec 27th surface hoar is buried down 30cm and starting to produce results in tests. The Dec 15th surface hoar is still the main layer of concern, buried 60 deep which is producing whumphing, cracking and small slides around tree-line.
Weather Forecast
Today expect cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries amounting to no more than a couple cms. Freezing level will rise to 1500m, giving us an alpine high of -4 deg C. Wind will be from the West in the 20-40km/h range. A series of pacific systems will bring precip though the week with up to 30cm of accumulated snow forecast by Wednesday
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The December 15 surface hoar layer is widespread around treeline and buried 60cm. Cold temps have kept the slab from settling and gaining cohesion; however, this could change as temperatures rise and new snow load is added.