My Account - TextMeAvy

User Guide

Request Formatting Guide

Use The App

Request, Visualize The Forecast

Visualize Avalanche Forecasts While Offline

Download the TextMeAvy App

Detailed User Guide

In case of operation without the free app

Example Input

An example of the text used to request a forecast from TextMeAvy. Note: Provide either Lat/Lon or Search, not both.

"Lat": "39.6023817", "Lon": "-106.0089899",
"DR": "true",
"Dates": ["2025-04-16", "2025-04-17"],
"ID": "as46gads"

Input Fields

Click on a field name below to see its description and highlight it in the example (if applicable).

Search

Lat, Lon

DR

Dates

ID

Description: A string to define the location of the forecast (e.g., a town, pass, or landmark). Use either Search OR Lat/Lon, not both. (Not shown in example)

Example: "Search": "Hoosier Pass, CO"

Description: The latitude and longitude for the forecast location. Use either Lat/Lon OR Search, not both.

Example: "Lat": "39.6023817", "Lon": "-106.0089899"

Description: A boolean ("true" or "false") to indicate if the detailed forecast discussion should be included in the response.

Example: "DR": "true"

Description: An array of dates for which to retrieve a forecast. Formatted as "YYYY-MM-DD". Note: You can only request dates for which the agency has made a forecast available. If unavailable, no forecast will be returned.

Example: "Dates": ["2025-04-16","2025-04-17"]

Description: Your unique authentication ID. You must always include this ID in your messages. However, the service will only work if this ID is associated with an active subscription.

Example Output

An example of the text output returned by TextMeAvy

"Data": [
  {
    "Date": "2025-04-16",
    "Summary": "Most slopes are safe from avalanches, but you could trigger ...",
    "DangerByEl": "moderate moderate low",
    "Details": [
      {
      "name": "wetSlab",
      "aspects": "w_tln nw_tln ne_tln e_tln",
      "likelihood": "unlikely",
      "size": "small to large"
      },
...
    ]
  },
...
],
"Discussion": "Northern Mountains Regional Discussion: With another night of freezing temperatures at upper elevations followed by an above-freezing day, Wednesday will look a lot like Tuesday. Warm temperatures continue on Thursday, so don’t expect conditions to change significantly until colder temperatures and snow arrive on Thursday night.On Saturday, a skier triggered and was caught in the season's first reported Wet Slab avalanche in the Northern Mountains. On Monday, a forecaster visited the avalanche in the Sky Chutes in the 10-mile range and found a very supportive surface crust, which gave the perception of safety. As soon as they stepped out of their skis, they punched to the ground. The take-home message is to step out of your floatation multiple times during a day or dig to see what is under the surface crust. Wet saturated snow with a firm slab above is the classic setup for wet slab avalanches. Even with nighttime freezes, water already draining through the snowpack may continue to moisten deeper layers. Shallow areas of the snowpack and those with poor structure and buried weak layers will be the most vulnerable to water filtering into the snowpack. Slopes beneath large cliff bands, which will heat up quickly in the sun, can be the first slopes to become dangerous. On north aspects and at higher elevations, meltwater has not drained as deeply into the snowpack, and it remains colder, offering safer riding. While the natural Wet Loose avalanche cycle has largely run its course, you might still trigger an avalanche in cohesionless, wet snow on some slopes. Especially in areas that received measurable snowfall on Monday. The higher the elevation or the shadier the slope, the less likely Wet Loose avalanches will be. But with daytime highs well above freezing at pass level, crusts can still break down, and the surface snow can get wet. Sunny, steep, rocky slopes are the most likely place. Remember, even small wet avalanches can be difficult to escape from, so be careful in extreme terrain if you are sinking into wet snow.In the spring, there is a lot of uncertainty around the timing for when a slope will become dangerous or when water hits a weak layer, causing a Wet Slab avalanche cycle. But we can say with some certainty that starting your day and ending your day early is the best way to maximize your window for safe travel...."

Output Fields

Click on a field name below to see its description and highlight it in the example.

Best Practices: For a seamless experience, we recommend requesting one date at a time, as the response contains a lot of information. Request the detailed Discussion separately only if you need more context after reviewing the summary, as it is long and will require multiple text messages to deliver.

Summary

DangerByEl

Date

Details

Discussion

Description: A brief overview of the avalanche forecast for a specific day.

Example: "Summary": "Most slopes are safe from avalanches, but you could trigger an avalanche where you find wet snow underneath a cohesive slab. Be sure to step out of your skis or board multiple times to test the snow you are traveling on. If you punch through the surface into wet snow, you could trigger a Wet Slab avalanche. These slides are most likely in near treeline areas on slopes with a shallow snowpack and a weak faceted base. Slopes with lots of rocks or exposed vegetation can absorb heat faster and hold on to it longer. Starting and ending your day early helps reduce your chance of triggering a wet avalanche. A potent spring storm will increase the avalanche danger across the Northern Mountains on Friday. Parts of the Front Range could see a few inches of snow on Thursday, but not enough to increase the danger. Avoid new drifts if you find them on very steep slopes."

Description: The danger rating by elevation band. The order of elevation bands is : alpine, treeline, below treeline.

Example: "DangerByEl": "moderate moderate low"

Description: The date for the specific forecast entry. Multiple dates can be returned at once, but appear within different data objects.

Example: "Date": "2025-04-16"

Description: Detailed avalanched problems for the day, each object describing a specific avalanche problem. Each object contains the following keys:

name: The type of avalanche problem (e.g., wetSlab, windSlab).
aspects: The slope aspects and elevations where the problem is most likely.
likelihood: The likelihood of triggering an avalanche of this type.
size: The potential destructive size of the avalanche.

Example: "Details": [{"name":"wetSlab", "aspects":"w_tln nw_tln ne_tln e_tln", "likelihood":"unlikely", "size":"small to large"}, {"name":"wetLoose", "aspects":"sw_tln s_tln se_tln w_tln e_tln sw_alp se_alp s_alp w_alp e_alp", "likelihood":"possible", "size":"small"}]

Description: A detailed discussion of the current avalanche conditions and forecast. This is not included if the 'DR' input is set to 'false'. This is independent from the daily forecast objects because it is not provided for each forecast day.

Example: "Discussion": "Northern Mountains Regional Discussion: With another night of freezing temperatures at upper elevations followed by an above-freezing day, Wednesday will look a lot like Tuesday. Warm temperatures continue on Thursday, so don’t expect conditions to change significantly until colder temperatures and snow arrive on Thursday night.On Saturday, a skier triggered and was caught in the season's first reported Wet Slab avalanche in the Northern Mountains. On Monday, a forecaster visited the avalanche in the Sky Chutes in the 10-mile range and found a very supportive surface crust, which gave the perception of safety. As soon as they stepped out of their skis, they punched to the ground. The take-home message is to step out of your floatation multiple times during a day or dig to see what is under the surface crust. Wet saturated snow with a firm slab above is the classic setup for wet slab avalanches. Even with nighttime freezes, water already draining through the snowpack may continue to moisten deeper layers. Shallow areas of the snowpack and those with poor structure and buried weak layers will be the most vulnerable to water filtering into the snowpack. Slopes beneath large cliff bands, which will heat up quickly in the sun, can be the first slopes to become dangerous. On north aspects and at higher elevations, meltwater has not drained as deeply into the snowpack, and it remains colder, offering safer riding. While the natural Wet Loose avalanche cycle has largely run its course, you might still trigger an avalanche in cohesionless, wet snow on some slopes. Especially in areas that received measurable snowfall on Monday. The higher the elevation or the shadier the slope, the less likely Wet Loose avalanches will be. But with daytime highs well above freezing at pass level, crusts can still break down, and the surface snow can get wet. Sunny, steep, rocky slopes are the most likely place. Remember, even small wet avalanches can be difficult to escape from, so be careful in extreme terrain if you are sinking into wet snow.In the spring, there is a lot of uncertainty around the timing for when a slope will become dangerous or when water hits a weak layer, causing a Wet Slab avalanche cycle. But we can say with some certainty that starting your day and ending your day early is the best way to maximize your window for safe travel."