Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
Keine Stufe
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Kernpunkte

Higher elevations are picking up abundant new snow, and cooling temperatures mean the primary avalanche concern is in wind-drifted snow. Identify thicker, heavier deposits along ridgelines and around terrain features, and avoid steep slopes where you could trigger large, dangerous avalanches. Recent wild weather has made access challenging, so be prepared to carefully assess conditions on your own if you reach the mountains.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    It's likely that you can trigger large avalanches on wind slabs that can kill you on Wednesday. Search out thicker, heavier-feeling drifts that tend to form on the leeward side of ridges, around terrain features, or in gullies. With strong winds, they may form further downslope or in more unusual areas than expected. Drifted snow may be subtle and hard to find. Don't ignore obvious clues like long, shooting cracks and recent avalanches- steer clear of these drifts on steep slopes or areas where you identify clues. 

    Closer to the top of the upper elevation band, snow has been building on top of a thick crust since Sunday. Near the bottom of these newer layers, hardness changes due to fluctuating temperatures could mean avalanches won't just be limited to wind-loaded areas. It is probably appropriate to avoid all steep terrain, given the uncertainty. 

    Newer snow may stick well to an underlying crust from the weekend, or alternatively, it could slide easily on the layer. Dig down to check the bond between the new and old snow layer. In general, with cooling trends from Tuesday night, the most recent snow should be "right side up", once again meaning in most areas, your concerns lie in wind-drifted snow. Expect danger to increase as the day progresses.

     

    Example photo: It's likely you could trigger an avalanche in wind-drifted snow where it rolls over onto steep terrain on Wednesday. 

Avalanche Discussion

Precipitation, temperatures, and wind were highly variable this week, but a cooler trend is finally settling in. Upper elevations may have three or more feet of snow, while mid elevations bounced between snow and rain before ending with snow Tuesday night, potentially adding a foot or more by Wednesday. Lower elevations are just beginning to accumulate; where coverage is sufficient—especially over older snow—avalanches remain possible.

Several key access points are closed due to washouts and landslides, with more possible Tuesday night as over two inches of precipitation is forecast. Recent storms have significantly impacted travel in both the mountains and lowlands, limiting access and observations. With snow totals and temperatures varying widely across the zone, be prepared to assess avalanche conditions on your own if you enter snow-covered terrain.

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

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