Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Tue
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist last year abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Gusty winds could easily turn the few inches of new snow into thicker slabs, particularly in the western portions of the zone. Lookout for smooth pillow-like drifts near exposed ridges, below cliffs, and along mid-slope gullies. Even though they are small, slabs might fail easily and run quickly.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Winds with this storm are pretty impressive and quite gusty. That often leads to weird, irregular loading patterns and occasionally firm slabs. New wind slabs will form over stout crusts on southerly aspects and potentially weak dry snow on northerly slopes. When you combine all the factors, it means these slabs, while generally small, will be harder to predict and assess. You could find them in strange places and each wind loaded pocket might act differently than the last. 

    Use your eyes to look for clues that highlight local wind patterns and which features you should be concerned about. Textured surfaces, sharp drifts, and fresh wind lips all point toward potential wind slabs. Consider steering around these steep slopes and seek out more sheltered terrain.

    (3/6/2025)

    Wind scalloped (textured) surfaces along a shaded aspect. This indicates wind transported snow even very low on this slope. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1

    This is a bit of an “if-then” problem. If you have more than 3-4 inches of new snow, and if the sun comes out, then you’ll probably see snow fall downhill (avalanche). Rollerballs releasing from rocks and trees will be your first clue. Once the snow surface becomes wet and sticky, wet loose slides will follow. Some slides could travel easily over a crust beneath the new snow.

    So, why isn’t this more dangerous? Unless we get way more snow than expected, there just won’t be that much snow to slide downhill. These slides should be very small and easy to predict. Just don’t let one push you into a creek.

    (1/22/2025)

    Example: The sun comes out and snow rolls downhill. You could see similar conditions Monday. 

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

It’s quite possible the only areas of the zone that receive enough new snow to create avalanches will be close to the Cascade Crest. In locations that only pick up 1-2 inches of snow, there’s probably not much danger. Since the storm will mostly be over by the morning, what you find on the ground is what you’re dealing with. 

The new snow is falling on a variety of old surfaces. Burly crusts on southerly aspects have been firm and smooth. On more shaded slopes, breakable crusts, wind textured snow, facets, and even surface hoar have been spotted. All these interfaces will be worth paying attention to as we enter this storm week. Fortunately, avalanche concerns should be limited to the snow above the uppermost thick crust. 

In the adjacent zone to the north, Persistent Slabs continue to be an issue. While we’ve put this problem to bed in the East Central, it’s worth considering in very northern portions or more far-flung parts of the zone.

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