Avalanche kills snowmobiler in northwest MT near Troy

Authorities have identified Bryan William Harlow of Libby as the man who died Saturday afternoon after being caught in an avalanche in the West Cabinet Mountains while snowmobiling.

Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe says that Harlow, age 49, died in the slide which happened about 17 miles southwest of Troy near the Montana/Idaho border.

Bowe says 911 dispatchers were told of the incident just after 2 p.m. when a 911 cell phone call was transferred from Bonner County, Idaho.

The incident is currently under investigation, although Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said the snowmobilers were aware of the high avalanche danger in the area and were taking precautions.

The other three men with Harlow were able to ride their snowmobiles out and did not require any medical assistance.

Investigators classified the avalanche as a D3, meaning that is was a soft slab of a size that could destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood frame house or break trees.

The Flathead Avalanche Center currently has the avalanche hazard advisory rated as considerable, meaning that human-triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanches are possible. Avalanche advisories for western Montana can be found online at www.flatheadavalanche.org and www.missoulaavalanche.org.

The National Weather Service reports that conditions in western Montana are likely to worsen late Sunday and into Monday morning. The heaviest snow is expected along the Interstate 90 corridor from Lookout Pass to Missoula, along U.S. Highway 93 from Ronan to Hamilton, and along Highway 12 from Lowell, ID to MacDonald Pass. These areas are likely to see eight to 12 inches of snow with strong winds and possible whiteout conditions.

Snow is expected to decrease through midday Monday, but another wave of snow is expected Monday night, especially along the I-90 corridor.

Agencies/Canadajournal