Issue Date
8:00 am - Tuesday February 19
Valid Until
Midnight - Tuesday February 19
Next Update
Thursday February 21
Because of the general nature of this advisory, each party will need to make their own time- and site-specific avalanche hazard evaluations. This advisory best describes conditions at the time of it’s issuance. As time passes avalanche and snow conditions may change, sometimes quite rapidly. Elevation and geographic distinctions used are approximate and transition zones between hazards exist. This advisory does not apply to developed ski areas.
CURRENT DANGER RATING
SITUATION
Predicted snow flurries are expected for today and tonight with 1-2 inches of accumulations expected. Temperatures in high 20s to mid 30s today and lows being into the teens tonight. 1.0 inch of snow water equivalent SWE has been reported from recorded sites across the Flathead, with the Kootenai gaining 0, over the weekend. Winds are currently calm out of the SW and are expected to increase to light for the remainder of the day.
Our observation on Monday was from the Peter’s Ridge Area. Upper ridgetop winds were light out of the South and no wind transport was observed. Visibility was poor with pockets of clearing early afternoon. Late afternoon visibility was good as the cloud ceiling lifted. Recent natural slide activity, which occured sometime over the weekend, was distantly observed late in the afternoon on South and West facing slopes caused from the weekend snow loading with the suspect layer being a near surface faceted layer. The pit elevation was at 6,433 feet and was taken on a S aspect. The Extended Column Test (ECT) resulted in ECTN 21 @ 101 cm up from the bottom of the snowpit on a thin rounding faceted layer above a 1/2 cm thick ice layer. This means the fracture intiatiates but does not propagate across the entire column. Isolated pockets of surface hoar, 4-5mm, were observed in protected areas. Look for this as the week continues on.
DISCUSSION
Today light variable winds are predicted into tonight. Lingering instabilites within old wind slabs still exist, so don’t be fooled into dropping onto wind loaded aspects and do your own site specific evaluations and risk assessments. Temperatures are predicted to remain the same for the next couple of days.
The avalanche hazard will remain at MODERATE today.
See the current NWS (backcountry weather forecast).
TREND
Expect the avalanche hazard to remain at the current level. Don’t become complacent at this moderate level lingering instabilites do exist and weather could change. Stay tuned for weather updates as well as our next advisory on Thursday.
Events
Check out the “Community Avalanche Awareness Evening Event” happening tonight!
Time: 6:30- 8:00pm with an after event social from 8-9pm
Where: Moose Lodge, Whitefish
PHOTOS
