Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Tue
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

Avalanche concern will generally be confined to parts of the zone where several inches of snow accumulated over the weekend. This is most likely high terrain near the Cascade Crest. Be leery of firm wind drifted slopes, especially in rocky complex areas.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    We’re mainly concerned with small slabs that formed over the weekend. While windy conditions and a bit more snow may occur on Monday, this shouldn’t add much to the problem. 

    Strong winds accompanied most of the storm Friday and Saturday, likely drifting snow into thicker and firmer slabs along ridges and below cliffs. The best way to identify potentially hazardous slopes is to look and feel for clues of local wind patterns and anticipate where loading likely occurred. Rime, drifts behind rocks, and cornices all point toward possible wind slabs.

    It's hard to say how easy it will be to trigger one of these avalanches. Small slopes may give you some idea, but if the slabs are firm, don’t trust them. Avalanches may fail more easily where the slabs overlay a slick crust, on unsupported slopes, and in rocky areas. Even though these slides should be small, they could take you for a nasty ride in these alpine environments.

    (2/8/2026)

    Scoured slopes, rime on the surface, and drifts behind the rocks all show signs of wind loading on nearby slopes. 

    Photo: Payton Schiff

Avalanche Discussion

Monday’s storm should bring another few inches of snow to areas immediately adjacent to the Cascade Crest. However, its impacts should reach further east with cloudy skies and moderate winds for much of the day. Some locations in the southern and eastern parts of the zone could see a few sun breaks in the afternoon. There’s probably not enough new snow in these spots to turn into much of a wet loose avalanche issue. Even still, if you find the right combination of several inches of new snow and sunshine, don’t be surprised by rollerballs and small wet loose slides. 

This weekend’s systems brought modest amounts of precipitation to the East Central zone. As of Sunday afternoon, storm totals ranged from 0.3-0.6 inches, and snow levels generally hovered around 5000 ft. So, you could find 4-6 inches of snow at upper elevations. An NWAC forecaster traveling near Van Epps Pass on Sunday confirmed this, reporting 6 inches of snow at 6900ft. This new snow accumulated over the 2/7 interface, which is a crust in most places. Below the rain-snow line, this crust (or wet old snow) is just the surface. 

These warm storms didn’t do us many favors in terms of coverage and conditions. Many southerly and lower elevation slopes are painfully thin or even bare. Where there’s snow, it may be wet and mushy, icy, or have breakable crusts. Open creeks, random holes, and exposed obstacles add to the challenge. Often, travel hazards outweigh avalanche risk in many areas. Give yourself extra time to manage these “early season” conditions.

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