Avalanche Forecast
Lizard Range and Flathead
Recent storm snow may remain reactive on wind-loaded terrain features and where it sits above crusts.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
- Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline. Storm snow is forming touchy slabs.
- Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could easily trigger slabs.
Avalanche Summary
On Monday, natural avalanches up to size 2 were reported in alpine terrain while skiers and explosives triggered several size 1 avalanches at lower elevations. The 20 cm of new snow was poorly bonding to the crust and produced slab avalanches in wind-affected terrain and loose dry avalanches elsewhere.
On Sunday, small loose dry avalanches (size 1) were reported in steep terrain and one size 2 wind slab avalanche was triggered with explosives on a north aspect at 2100 m.
On Saturday, a large slab avalanche was triggered in the west of the region. See this MIN post for a photo and more details. A small wind slab avalanche at treeline was also reported.
Snowpack Summary
15-25 cm of snow on Sunday night has fallen above a melt-freeze crust on sunny aspects and all aspects below 1700 m. The new snow has been wind-affected and may take awhile to bond to the crusts.
A surface hoar and crust layer buried mid-March is found around treeline at a depth of about 80 cm, with weak surface hoar on northerly aspects and the crust elsewhere.
Deeper in the snowpack, the late-November weak layer is composed of sugary facets around a crust, which is buried around 200 to 300 cm deep and is currently dormant.
Cornices are large along ridgetops and were actively failing last week.
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with some light flurries (accumulations of 1-3 cm), moderate west wind, alpine high temperatures near -6 C, freezing level up to 1200 m.
WEDNESDAY: Increasing cloud, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperatures near -4 C, freezing level up to 1400 m.
THURSDAY: Light flurries with 5-10 cm of snow, moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperatures near -8 C, freezing level at valley bottom.
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Storm slabs, as well as loose snow in sheltered areas, are not bonding well to underlying surfaces and will likely remain reactive. Large avalanches are possible on wind-loaded slopes.