We picked up an additional 1-6 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, just enough to cover weak snow surfaces that have formed during the recent cold, dry spell. A shallow, early season snowpack still exists across most of the area, but pay attention to how the snowpack develops ahead of the next storm. Continue to carry avalanche safety gear, practice using it, and follow the safe travel technique that you would mid-winter.
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Above 6500 ft.
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5000-6500 ft.
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3500-5000 ft.
We are currently getting into the field here are the Flathead Avalanche Center. The meager snowpack at lower elevations is making access to upper elevations a bit tricky. However, there is enough snow at upper elevations to ski and ride. This means there is enough snow to avalanche. Any avalanche that occurs is likely to be small at this point, but could take you for a nasty ride over rocks and the ground at this point. Small, isolated wind slabs may still exist in the upper reaches of the alpine. In other areas, a shallow, weak snowpack exists. Surface hoar has formed due to the clear cold nights above the inversion and these cold temperatures have also caused the near surface layers to begin to facet. This is important to track before the next storm deposits a new load on this weak snowpack.
Continue to wear and carry proper avalanche safety gear and know how to use it. The early season is a great time to practice your transceiver skills. You can practice anywhere, and all of the grasses and bushes sticking up out of the snow makes it easy for your partner to hide his/her transceiver. Speaking of practice, it's also a great time to start brushing away the cobwebs in the part of your brain that thinks about avalanches, and attend one of the upcoming classes this fall. Check here for a calendar. The next avalanche awareness class is motorized specific and will be held at Penco Power Products in Kalispell on Wednesday, December 9 at 6:30. Many of these classes are hosted by local shops and retailers, and we appreciate their support in helping educate backcountry users.
The first Introduction to Avalanches class will be held December 17 and 19. We are partnering with FVCC to conduct these classes. Register here soon as these clases tend to fill quickly: http://www.flatheadavalanche.org/class/introduction-avalanches-non-motor....
Also, join the Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center (FOFAC) this Saturday at the Great Northern Bar and Grill in Whitefish for the annual Snowball. There will be great music, and a raffle for skis and a season pass at Whitefish Mountain Resort. More info on the website homepage.
If you are out in the mountains, let us know what you are seeing. How much snow is on the ground? Where was the rain/snow line this past weekend? How were the ice conditions? All of it helps. You can drop us a line at [email protected], call us at 406.387.3821, or submit an observation.
We will begin issuing daily advisories with danger ratings once we have more snowfall and enough data from the field.
Yesterday, Lucas and I traveled to Skookoleel Ridge in the southern Whitefish Range. We fought the brush to about 6000 feet. On a north aspect at 6800 feet we found 3.5 feet of snow and only 2 feet to the south (Photo). We found several layers of weak (faceted) snow near the surface and recently buried surface hoar in isolated areas. Though a substantial slab has not formed over the weak snow in this location, it is important to note the distribution before the next big storm arrives.
On Wednesday, we ventured into the northern Whitefish Range where a substantially deeper snowack exists at upper elevations. Weak snow still exists near the surface in this area, too (video).
In the past 24 hours we picked up an additional 1-6 inches of snow. The big winner was Flattop Mountain SNOTEL, though outside of the advisory area, it is often representative of conditions that exist in portions of the Flathead Range. Winds were out of the southwest 5-15 mph with gusts in the mid-30s, temperatures climbed above freezing in most areas yesterday. Currently, mountain temperatures range from 21º-30º F and winds continue to blow out of the southwest at 5-15 mph. Expect slightly warmer and drier weather today with another warm system moving into the area tomorrow.
| 0600 temperature: | 21-30 deg. F. |
| Max. temperature in the last 24 hours: | 28-38 deg. F. |
| Average wind direction during the last 24 hours: | SW |
| Average wind speed during the last 24 hours: | 5-15 mph |
| Maximum wind gust in the last 24 hours: | 5-25 mph |
| New snowfall in the last 24 hours: | 1-6 inches |
| Total snow depth: | 10-34 inches |
| Saturday | Saturday Night | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Cover: | Warming and drying. | Partly cloudy. | Increasing light snow with rising snow levels. |
| Temperatures: | 29-39 deg. F. | 21-28 deg. F. | 29-39 deg. F. |
| Wind Direction: | SW | S-SW | S-SW |
| Wind Speed: | 9-12 gusts 25 | 8-10 gusts 23 | 10-16 gusts 23-33 |
| Snowfall: | 0 in. | 0 in. | 1-2 in. |
| Snow Line: |
This advisory applies only to backcountry areas outside established ski area boundaries. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur. This advisory expires at midnight on the posted day unless otherwise noted. The information in this advisory is provided by the USDA Forest Service who is solely responsible for its content.
