General Avalanche Information Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns
Sawtooth Avalanche Center
www.sawtoothavalanche.com
- Issued
- Sunday, October 11, 2026 - 12:00PM
- Expires
- Monday, October 19, 2026 - 4:00PM
- Author
- Gabrielle Antonioli
The Bottom Line
A warm, wet fall storm, fueled by tropical moisture, is soaking central Idaho with rain and high-elevation snow through Monday evening. An average of 1–2 inches of precipitation is expected, with snow accumulating above 8,000 feet and up to a foot possible at the highest elevations. Once the storm clears, slopes that hold snow through this week’s sunshine are most likely to produce the season’s first avalanches as winter builds. We’ll start daily forecasts with danger ratings once there’s enough snow for widespread avalanche concern.
We will update this General Avalanche Information post on or before Monday, October 19th, 2026.
Forecast Discussion
Fall Gear Check
Use this dry week to go through your kit at home:
- Beacon: Put in fresh batteries of the type your manufacturer recommends, check for corrosion and cracks, update the firmware, and do a practice search with your partners!
- Airbag: Practice-deploy it if your manufacturer recommends it, then refill or weigh the canister (or charge the battery and update firmware on electric packs) and repack it carefully.
- Probe and shovel: Assemble and lock them several times, and check for bent, cracked, or sticky parts.
- And all the rest: Restock first-aid and repair kits, charge radios, and check skins, bindings, and crampons.
Gear only helps if your whole team can use it quickly, and it never replaces good terrain choices. Our team is gearing up for the season (with a few new forecasters in tow!) and is excited for the winter ahead.
Learn Before the Season
- MSU Snow and Avalanche Workshop: November 4, 2026, Bozeman, MT. Registration details are here.
- Wyoming Snow and Avalanche Workshop (WYSAW): November 13–14, 2026, Center for the Arts, Jackson, WY. Registration details are here.
- Not a workshop person? Check out The Avalanche Hour podcast for tips, stories, and early-season wisdom here.
Send Us Your Observations
Share where Monday’s snow stuck around and where it melted here.
Media
Mountain Weather
- Issued
- Sunday, October 11, 2026 - 11:40AM
- Author
- Gabrielle Antonioli
This weekend's storm ends a long warm, dry spell. The first week of October brought unseasonable heat to eastern and central Idaho, with temperatures running 15–20 degrees above normal and some lower-elevation sites near record highs. Little rain fell, but fortunately forecasters flagged a pattern change for this weekend, and it arrived on schedule. A deep trough moving in from the Pacific Northwest, loaded with tropical moisture, has brought steady rain and some high-elevation snow to the forecast area since this morning.
Snow levels started near 9,000 feet today, so most precipitation fell as rain below the high peaks. As colder air moves in tonight, showers will turn to all snow after midnight around 8,000–8,500 feet. Snow showers continue Monday, with valley highs in the upper 30s and temperatures in the mid-30s near Galena Summit, before tapering off Monday evening. Storm totals should average 1–2 inches of precipitation, with snow accumulating above 8,000 feet and up to a foot possible at the highest elevations.
High pressure builds back in Tuesday, with a stretch of sunny, dry weather through at least Saturday. At about 8,500 feet, highs will warm from the low 40s Tuesday to near 50 by the weekend, while overnight lows drop into the mid-20s to low 30s. Valley highs will climb back into the low 60s by Friday.
This information is provided by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and describes general backcountry avalanche hazard and conditions.
It does not apply to ski areas and highways where avalanche mitigation is conducted.