This report does not apply to local ski areas within the forecast region and will remain in effect through this Sunday. We continue to have an unstable situation in the backcountry throughout the panhandle region. Snow pit investigations in the Selkirk Mountains and the St. Regis Basin show that the snow pack remains shallow and fragile and temperatures continue to be cold. These factors have inhibited the snow pack from gathering strength and breaking down the obvious faceted layers from within that could possibly cause a slide. Unstable slab layers are probable on steep terrain above 5500 feet elevation on all aspects.
Natural avalanches are possible, while human triggered avalanches are probable.
Be aware of potentially dangerous areas of unstable snow, especially the steep and open slopes above 30 degrees. Below 5500 feet or below timberline, there could be some unstable layers in the steep and open terrain where anchoring from trees and brush is not present. Natural avalanches are unlikely, while human triggered avalanches are possible. Backcountry travelers should use caution in the steeper and open terrain below timberline. A deep low is centered off the Washington coast and is moving eastward.