Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
Open full map
Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

The mountains are coming out of a major storm. The likelihood of triggering a slab avalanche should diminish by Tuesday but thick layers of new and wind drifted snow need time to gain strength. Look out for wet avalanches if the sun makes an appearance. Give large and looming cornices plenty of space as it warms up through the week.

 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Continued snowfall should put down another 4-8” by Tuesday morning. The overall likelihood of triggering or being caught in a slab avalanche is decreasing. Conditions are still considered dangerous given the amount of new snow since Sunday and continued wind loading at upper elevations.

    You are more likely to trigger an avalanche on slopes with recent wind loading. Warming could increase the chance of triggering a slab as well.

    Test slopes and hand pits are useful for evaluating the upper layers of new snow. They won’t tell you much about the old/new snow interface that is 3’ down at upper elevations. The easiest way to reduce risk is to limit travel on large steep slopes or smaller slopes with trees, gullies, or other terrain traps in the runout.  

    Storm slab avalanche from earlier in the winter in Canyon Creek.

    Photo: Jeff Hambleton

  • Loose Wet

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

    There is no shortage of fresh, new snow out there. If the sun comes out for real then anticipate significant wet loose avalanche activity. Though initially small, wet avalanches can grow large or trigger a slab avalanche lower on the slope or run farther than expected.

    Look for initial signs of instability like snow shedding from trees and rocks - which are hazards themselves. Pinwheels or balls of snow rolling down the slope are also telltale signs of warming. If you see these it would be a great time to give a wide berth to slopes facing the sun. 

    The likelihood of seeing wet avalanches is a contest between how fast low clouds clear out in the morning versus how fast high clouds move in later in the day. If it stays cloudy there shouldn't be many avalanches. 

    Wet loose avalanche on the south aspect of Herman from a prior winter.

    Photo: Zack McGill

Avalanche Discussion

Avoid traveling directly under large cornices that probably grew even larger in the last 24 hours if they haven’t fallen off already. A falling cornice can also trigger a large slab avalanche where a single person or even a group of people would not. 

By Monday evening weather stations around West North reported 2-3" of precipitation with a mix of rain and wet snow at low elevations. While new snow amounts might seem unimpressive at most trailheads, expect to find new snow depths increase quickly as you gain elevation. Falling snow levels Monday evening will bring some snow back to the lowest elevations. Storm totals will be around 3’ in areas favored by southerly flow like the Mt. Baker Ski Area and Shcriebers/Baker NRA. Look for a bit less but still significant new snow in other subzones

Avalanche mitigation work Monday morning produced numerous slab avalanches 1-2’ deep. No natural avalanches were reported and no backcountry observations were submitted. This probably has more to do with poor visibility and people avoiding backcountry travel than a lack of natural avalanche activity.

If you get out Tuesday submit an observation and let us know what you see. 

Abgedeckte Regionen