Our final avalanche advisory for the 2012/13 winter was issued last Friday, April 5. Since then, winter returned to the mountains with a few inches of new snow and high winds. The Missoula Office of the National Weather Service is forecasting more snow before we return to more seasonal and warmer temperatures.
Spring Avalanche Safety Considerations
In previous years we’ve seen many big snow storms pass through western Montana in April and May, this year should be no exception. These spring snows typically come in at much warmer atmospheric temperatures so it tends to bond to the old hard snow surface and settle quickly. The storm snow avalanche hazard usually abates within 24-48 hours.
Recently wind loaded terrain steeper than 35 degrees should be treated with caution during and immediately after a storm.
As soon as skies clear and temperatures warm above freezing, the wet snow avalanche danger can escalate especially on steep slopes that have recent new snow. These wet slides can entrain a lot of snow and potentially step down into the deeper, weaker snow at the ground.
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The West Central Montana Avalanche Center is hosted on the Lolo National Forest with support from the Bitterroot and Clearwater National Forests. The advisory content is the sole responsibility of the Forest Service and does not apply to operating ski areas. Avalanche specialists can be contacted by calling 406-329-3752 or by