Probably not like the rest.

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Northern Swan Range
Observation date: 
Monday, February 21, 2022 - 15:15
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Forecaster

Tabs

Quick Observation

Today we went to fill a void in observations for the Swan Range. We were fairly suspicious seeing 10 to 12 inches of new snow in Hungry Horse while the Noisy Basin station was reading a half inch of water with almost no measurable change in snow height. 

  • We found roughly 6 inches of low density snow that had minimal wind affect. We felt light winds and observed no wind transport. Meanwhile, we just received an email from an observer who saw intense transport in the southern end of our forecast area in the Swan. 
  • Observed a few small loose dry avalanches out of steep, rocky terrain.
  • We sled cut wind drifted test slopes and only had isolated cracking in the new snow. 
  • Beneath the new snow on a north facing aspect we found a hard wind slab with no distinct weak layers. We got no results with extended column tests.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Videos: 

New Snow

Travel Details
Region: 
Swan Range - East Side (Hungry Horse Reservoir access)
Activity: 
Snowmobiling
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
N
NE
E
SE
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
6.00in.
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Dug one pit on a north aspect at around 6200 ft. Facets were buried 1 foot below the surface. These appeared to have gained strength and only had a half of hardness step between the snow on either side of the weak layer.
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Northeast
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Sky Cover: 
Partly Cloudy (SCT)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Sunday, February 20, 2022 - 12:30
Number of avalanches: 
3
Avalanche Type: 
Loose Dry/ Sluff
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
Within storm snow
More information or comments about the avalanche: 

We observed 3 during our route. Varied in aspect but all came out of very steep and rocky terrain. 

Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
40
Aspect: 
Northeast
Starting Elevation: 
near-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D1 Relatively harmless to people.
Relative Size: 
R1 Very Small
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
300ft.
Avalanche Width (Average width): 
30ft.
Avalanche Location: