Lawinenlagebericht

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich
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Kernpunkte

One last round of heavy rain is headed our way. Expect wet avalanches of all shapes and sizes, with some potentially very large and running naturally from overhead terrain. You could also trigger smaller wet avalanches on steep slopes. In this uncertain and low likelihood, high-consequence situation, default to lower-angle terrain and don't linger beneath large avalanche paths. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wet Slabs

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

    Wet slabs are notoriously difficult to predict, but with up to 2" of rain in the forecast in the next 24 hours, we suspect that if we're going to see wet slabs, Friday is a likely day for them to occur. If you're braving the deluge for some time in the mountains, avoid lingering in gullies or runouts from large overhead avalanche paths. If you're sinking deeply into wet heavy snow, stick to lower angle slopes to avoid triggering wet avalanches. 

    Monday's warm-up initiated a widespread wet loose avalanche cycle. Since then, temperatures have remained above freezing, and Stevens Pass has had nearly 3" of rain.  The whole range of wet avalanche problems is possible, including wet loose avalanches, wet slabs that may be several feet deep, cornice failures, or glide avalanches off steep rock features. Even small wet avalanches can be powerful enough to knock you off your feet or carry you into hazards.

    (3/2/2022)

    Example photo: Wet slab and wet loose debris above Wellington, similar to what we expect to see on Thursday.

    Photo: Matt Primomo

Avalanche Discussion

The last gasp of rain is headed our way before cooler, but unfortunately drier weather takes hold of the region. This last round packs a punch and will nearly double the amount of rain that has already saturated our snowpack. As temperatures cool late in the day on Friday, you might even see a dusting of snow at the upper elevations. 

On Skyline Ridge on Wednesday, we found soggy, wet snow that was marginally supportable for skis but not for boots. The top 8-10" of the snowpack is wet with moist snow throughout the mid-pack. We didn't observe water pooling along the prominent crusts (3/12 & 3/8), but there were areas with slight density changes that collected liquid water. Wet slabs are tricky and can surprise us, so we're not ruling out avalanches on these crusts buried 2' and 4' deep. Despite days of warm temperatures and rain, we were still able to initiate small, loose, wet slides in the saturated surface snow layer, about 10" deep.

Consider the consequences of falling in wet, deep snow. At mid and lower elevations, holes around boulders and creeks may be barely covered and could lead to a dangerous fall. Make sure to keep close tabs on your partners in case you need to rescue them. 

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