Snowpack near normal, avy danger elevated

Mountain snowpack is finally gaining on a slow start to winter, but with the added snow comes elevated avalanche danger.

The mountain snow water equivalent percentage in the Flathead River Basin is now 89 percent of normal, according to a report from the National Water and Climate Center. It’s 96 percent of normal in the Kootenai Basin and the Upper and Lower Clark Fork areas.

The Bitterroot is right on target at 100 percent of normal, while in the southwest the Madison and Gallatin are lagging at 78 and 80 percent, respectively.

Mountain snowpack could get deeper this weekend with another potent winter storm on the way. The National Weather Service in Missoula is predicting 8-15 inches of snow in the mountains this weekend, with up to four inches in the valleys.

Avalanche danger in Northwest Montana remains considerable above 5,000 feet. Glacier Country Avalanche Center is reporting concerns with unstable snow poorly bonded to buried surface hoar and layers of melt-freeze ice.

The buried surface hoar was the failing layer in the avalanche that killed a Washington snowmobiler in the Swan Range on Monday.

Recent avalanche activity has been seen in high-traffic areas in the backcountry, including Essex Mountain and False Shields.

Wide spread activity was observed on southeast aspects, below 5,400 feet in steep open tree pockets and steep cut banks.

“Consequences are high in this type of terrain,” the avalanche center reports.