Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 7 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

At the uppermost elevations near the Cascade Crest, watch for slabs of wind-drifted snow in leeward terrain if surfaces are dry and textured. Zone-wide, be wary that wet snow is unstable at all elevations, although lower elevations generally lack consistent snow coverage for hazard to be elevated. Steer around very steep, open terrain where even a small avalanche could carry you into exposed hazards below, especially if the sun comes out.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    Due to a variety of old and new weather factors, there are a couple of different ways in which this problem could present itself on Tuesday. Luckily, managing it doesn't need to be complicated. As you move through old wet, mushy snow or new dry snow that is getting warm in the sun, you can check to see how easily it wants to slide on an interface below by pushing on small but very steep terrain features and watching for both natural and triggered rollerballs. Use caution on slopes where a small avalanche could push you into terrain traps such as rocks, trees, or creeks.  Hazard is lower on slopes that lack sufficient snow coverage, where surfaces are really rough, or if there is a refrozen crust on the surface.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    Monday's storm overproduced precipitation throughout the forecast region, and dry snow fell at upper elevations. Questions remain about exactly what elevation you can find this snow at and how dry it will still be on Tuesday. Despite the uncertainty, you can make managing the problem simple. If you find yourself traveling through dry snow, put your wind slab goggles on. Look for freshly formed drifts, newly textured surfaces, and cracking in wind drifted snow. Wind slabs typically form just below ridgelines or within concave terrain features (cross loading). Slabs will be deeper the closer you are to the Cascade Crest. It's unlikely you'll find enough new snow on the eastern side of the zone for this problem to exist.

    If the sun comes out on Tuesday, dry snow will be easily influenced, and this problem will quickly turn from wind slab to wet loose. Take a step back from steep terrain on southerly aspects if this is the case.

    (1/5/2026)

    Wind slabs will probably be small, like this, on Tuesday but taking a ride in one could carry you into an ample amount of exposed hazards in the snowpack right now. Cracking is a red flag indication that slabs are unstable.

    Photo: Payton Schiff

Avalanche Discussion

There is a sizeable amount of uncertainty in both weather and snowpack conditions going into Tuesday. It is impossible to pin down the cloud forecast, except for some certainty that a layer of low valley clouds, similar to those we experienced nearly every day during the "January Drought," will be present. We also don't have very much snowpack information for the zone, especially at upper elevations. Since the onset of stormy weather on January 28th, weather stations on the western side of the zone (think Salmon La Sac/Trinity) recorded an average of 2 inches of precipitation. A lot of the time, it was probably rain, but sometimes it was wet, heavy snow, and sometimes it was drier snow. An NWAC Forecaster traveling in the Teanaway on Saturday found 8 inches of moist snow at middle elevations that readily slid on the 01/28 interface below. Despite all this variability, we don't need to get bogged down in the weeds (or the gloopy snowpack, in this case) to keep ourselves safe on Tuesday. Anticipate some amount of wet snow hazard, and be ready to shift your mindset to hazard associated with wind-drifted dry snow if you manage to get into upper elevations. If the sun does come out, expect avalanche hazard to be slightly higher.

There's dry ground across many low-elevation or south-facing slopes, reminiscent of early-season conditions. The Wenatchees lack consistent snow coverage for on-snow recreation altogether, despite getting a couple inches of new snow on Monday. Plan ahead for challenging travel and keep an eye out for exposed obstacles and open creeks.

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