Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

There could be up to 2' of new snow in some parts of West Central by Friday morning. The greatest danger will be in wind-loaded terrain - avoid steep slopes where you see signs of active or recent wind loading. There are still plenty of early-season hazards that can increase the consequences of a fall or small avalanche. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Steady winds and snowfall are the setup for slab avalanches on wind-loaded slopes.  Observations on which to verify conditions are far and few between, but wind slabs are the most hazardous avalanche problem you could encounter traveling across high ridgelines or exposed terrain. Active loading should taper off by midday, so look for clues like scoured snow surfaces and thicker drifts to identify areas where denser, deeper, easier-to-trigger slabs reside. 

    Loose dry avalanches are possible in steep terrain. Look for larger, longer-running sluffs where the crust is frozen, firm and smooth below the new snow. Small sluffs can be consequential with thin snowpack conditions or terrain traps in the runout.

    One upside of big rain events is they create a crust that's easy to identify below any new snow that follows. As you gain elevation and change aspects, use a ski pole or just dig down with your hand to track changes in snow depth above the crust.  More snow? Greater chances of finding a slab or triggering a sluff.

    Dense, cracking, textured snow is a telltale sign of wind slab.

    Photo: Robert Hahn

Avalanche Discussion

Wet avalanche activity is likely finished as temperatures fall. It’s still wise to avoid spending time below waterfalls, rock faces, and brushy cliffs holding snow. Small glide avalanches and rockfall can initiate from these features even after temperatures drop below freezing.

Friday is the first one in a while forecast to have halfway decent visibility. Some might be inclined to head to higher elevations where there is more dry snow and less crust. If you are one of these folks be aware there have been no observations from the alpine since the weekend. Prepare to make your own avalanche and snowpack assessments as you could find conditions different than forecast.

West Central weather stations recorded anywhere from 1-2" of precipitation on Thursday. White Chuck showed a rapid change in snow height with over a foot of new snow in 24 hours. That station also recorded an increase from 33" at 2 pm to 39" at 5 pm. The question mark this evening is the prevalence of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone. If some models play out as expected then we could see deep new snow in the southern portion of the zone. If not there will at least be more snow than we had 24 hours ago. Temperatures are falling along with the new snow, so look for light-density, right-side-up new snow layers - except for wind-loaded areas.

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