Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Glacier National Park
New storm snow will need time to stabilize. Now is the time to scale back your objectives.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind
- Carefully evaluate terrain features by digging and testing on adjacent, safe slopes.
Avalanche Problem 2: Cornices
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Cornices are hard to predict and have been sporadically failing in the park triggering avalanches to size 2.5. New snow, wind and temperature increases are a great recipe for cornice triggered avalanches.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Extra caution needed around cornices with current conditions.
- Give cornices a wide berth when travelling on or below ridges.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated loose wet avalanches were observed yesterday in the highway corridor on solar aspects up to size 2.0. This morning we received several infrasonic avalanche detection alerts in the west end of the highway corridor. These avalanches could not be confirmed due to limited visibility, but we suspect we are in the midst of a natural cycle.
Snowpack Summary
20cm fell overnight bringing the weekly storm snow total to 80cm. Strong southerly winds redistributed the new snow with increased loading on lee features. Storm snow is settling into a cohesive slab on a buried crust down about 50cm on all aspects up to 2000m and on steep solar aspects into the alpine. Surface snow was moist below 1500m yesterday.
Weather Forecast
Mainly cloudy today as snow flurries persist into the afternoon. Expect 5cm of accumulation, an alpine temperature of -6.0, westerly winds 20km/h gusting to 65km/h, and freezing levels rising to 1500m. A week ridge of high pressure builds on Saturday, bringing a mixed bag of sun and cloud. Precipitation resumes on sunday with 9cm snow.
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With the help of strong south winds, the storm snow is forming into a cohesive slab. The slab sits on a variety of surfaces including a widespread crust below tree line, a crust on solar aspects, and isolated pockets of surface hoar on polar aspects.