Avalanche danger high; slide halts U.S. 2 traffic

An avalanche on the southern edge of Glacier National Park dumped nearly 3 feet of snow onto U.S. 2 early Tuesday morning, putting a temporary halt to both lanes of traffic 10 miles west of Essex.

Gary Engman, a Montana Department of Transportation maintenance chief, said he received a dispatch at about 5:15 a.m. after a BNSF Railway truck became mired in the snow slide.

“It sounded like he was coming around the turn, slid into it and got stuck,” said Engman, adding that no one was injured.

By 8 a.m., highway department crews had cleared the 150-foot stretch of snow-covered road at mile marker 168.4. The avalanche came down near the Blue Rock Cut following a winter storm that brought more than two feet of snow to the Middle Fork corridor.

Because the slide hit the road early in the morning, Engman said there was little impact on traffic, with one lane reopened within the first hour.

“Of course, right now it’s winter driving conditions,” he said of the challenging stretch of highway along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. “We got so much snow, and then we ended up having some freezing rain on top, but for the most part everybody was making it through without a problem.”

On Tuesday, the Flathead Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning of “high” for all elevations in southern Glacier National Park and the Whitefish, Swan and Flathead mountain ranges.

Both human-triggered and natural avalanches are likely, according to the avalanche advisory.

Heavy snow on Sunday and Monday coupled with rising temperatures Tuesday created hazardous conditions in avalanche-prone areas.

“When you pile up that much snow in a relatively short amount of time, the snow has a certain amount of strength and when the load becomes too much, you tip the scales,” said Erich Peitzsch, the avalanche center’s director. “Given the fact that the precipitation has mostly ended and it looks like it will get a little cooler again, that will definitely help.”

He said the main culprits are storm slabs that occur when a soft layer of new snow settles on top of older snow. According to the center’s website, these types of avalanches can persist for up to a few days after the snow event.

Peitzsch said the center will update its advisory Thursday and possibly continue the warning in the event of continued avalanches or precipitation.

While Tuesday morning’s avalanche on U.S. 2 was the only recent slide to affect a major roadway, Peitzsch said he witnessed evidence of several other avalanches along the Middle Fork.

“Right now, traveling in avalanche terrain is not recommended,” he said. “They can be triggered if you hit the right spot on the slope — you could be skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or climbing.”

Those using avalanche-prone backcountry areas can minimize their risk by carrying a beacon, shovel and probe and making sure they know how to properly use them.

The avalanche center urges people to check for advisories before heading out by either calling (406) 257-8402 or visiting flatheadavalanche.org.

Reporter Sam Wilson may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.