The North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale (NAPADS) (Statham et al. 2010) is the foundational component of public backcountry avalanche forecasts in North America. The scale consists of an ordinal, five-level system that provides a basic ranking of avalanche danger for a specific region over a period of time. The likelihood, size, and distribution included in NAPADS are derived from the foundational processes described in the Conceptual Model of Avalanche Hazard, or CMAH (Statham et al. 2017). The scale and its components are maintained by a collaborative working group consisting of U.S. and Canadian stakeholders. The current scale was published in 2010 and updated in 2022.
- Standard Danger Scale - Danger Scale defintion table with travel advice, likelihood, and size and distribution.
- Abbreviated Danger Scale (Travel Advice Only) - Danger Scale defintion table with travel advice only.
- Icons - Danger Scale icons, with and without danger level number.
Each directory has "Print" versions (PDF format) and "Web" versions (JPG and PNG).
Navigate to the graphic you wish to download (you'll see the actual image), then click on the "Download" button above and to the right of the image.
View this page for a table of Danger Scale colors in RGB, CMYK, and Hex.
For questions, please contact the National Avalanche Center: [email protected]