Winter storm elevates avalanche danger

The avalanche hazard is on the rise across Northwest Montana due to a series of winter storms that continue to impact the region.

The Flathead Avalanche Center on Monday rated the danger level as considerable, and warned that it may rise to “high” by Tuesday with heavy snow and rain in the forecast.

Mountain locations in the Whitefish Range picked up about 18 inches of new snow in the last week. Another 3-8 inches of snow was expected in the mountains on Monday, with 3-10 falling overnight and another 3-8 predicted Tuesday.

“The avalanche hazard will rise as today's storm intensifies,” the center warned Monday, adding that an avalanche watch or warning was possible by Tuesday.

Over the weekend, the center received numerous reports of human-triggered slides in the southern Whitefish Range and noted natural avalanche activity across the region. They also noted mitigation work at Whitefish Mountain Resort produced sizable slides over the weekend. Two of the avalanches broke above patrollers, the center added, with one patroller getting knocked off his feet but escaped uninjured. 

“These slides highlight our persistent slab problem's variability and should be an obvious clue to be vigilant in terrain selection,” the forecast warned.

Also of note, the U.S. recorded its first avalanche deaths of the season last weekend. Two backcountry skiers were killed in a slide in San Juan County, Colorado on Saturday, and solo skier was killed in an avalanche west of Crested Butte, Colorado on Friday. A snowmobiler was killed in a slide at Sheep Pass in Wyoming on Friday.