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Pick your poison: Devil's Club or Persistent slabs
Location Name:
Forecaster Observation - Northern Flathead Range
Observation date:
Monday, December 16, 2019 - 17:45
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
Yes
Observation made by:
Public
Tabs
Quick Observation
Quick tour in the Middle Fork to look for recent avalanche activity from Friday's storm.
Clouds obscured views of ridgeline start zones, but we spotted at least one crown that looked to be several feet thick, D2 in size, on an east aspect around 5800'. There weren't any long-running avalanches that reached the basin floor.
Below 5,500', there is a ridiculous amount of brush and no avalanche concerns.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:
Travel Details
Region:
Flathead Range - Middle Fork Corridor
Route Description:
To 4,000'
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details:
Terrain
Elevation of observation:
3500-5000 ft
Aspect(s) of observation:
N
Persistent Weak Layers:
Not observed
New Snow in the past 24 hours:
0.00in.
More comments about the snowpack and weather:
Too low in elevation to get an accurate read on winds or blowing snow.
Snow line:
Valley floor
Sky Cover:
Mostly Cloudy (BRK)
Highest Precipitation Rate:
Light Snowfall (S1)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details:
Date and Time of Avalanche:
Friday, December 13, 2019 - 08:45
Number of avalanches:
1
Avalanche Type:
Soft Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer:
Old snow
Trigger
Trigger:
natural
Terrain
Aspect:
East
Starting Elevation:
near-treeline
Size
Destructive Size:
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.
Relative Size:
R2 Small
Crown Height:
3 ft
Avalanche Location:
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