Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Sun
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 5 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist above treeline where you could trigger a large avalanche in wind drifted snow. In wind-sheltered areas and at lower elevations, loose snow avalanches could also run far and fast. Carefully evaluate new snow and choose conservative terrain while the cold, stormy weather continues on Christmas Day. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Slabs of wind drifted snow will become thicker and more reactive as you climb up in elevation. Be especially careful near ridges, exposed gullies, and the base of cliffs. Look and feel for signs of wind-loading as you travel like blowing snow and changes in snow surface texture and hardness. If you experience shooting cracks or see recent avalanches, choose terrain less than 35 degrees and minimize exposure to overhead hazard. 

  • Loose Dry

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

    New snow will fall at cold temperatures and will likely remain cohesionless in many wind-sheltered areas at lower elevations. On unsupported slopes greater than 35 degrees, you could easily trigger loose snow sluffs. Although these avalanches would likely be small, they could knock you off your feet or push you into rocks or trees. Be especially careful around terrain traps like gullies and cliffs. Seek out supported or lower angled terrain to avoid the problem.

    (3/8/2020) Example photo of a dry loose avalanche

Avalanche Discussion

Another 4-6in of new snow is expected over the next 24 hours, bringing snow totals since 12/21 over 1ft in areas of the zone near the Cascade Crest. Light snowfall looks to continue through the weekend, and some of the coldest temperatures of the year will arrive on Christmas and linger through next week. 

A look into the East South zone from the upper Tieton River Valley earlier this week showed a generally thin snowpack. While most slopes now hold continuous snow, lots of rocks and trees were still visible. The deepest snowpacks were seen around the Mt Aix and Bumping Ridge areas. 

Even as the snowpack has grown recently, there’s still a huge amount of variability; north to south and east to west. Several recent storm layers and crust can be found. However, despite this variability, we anticipate most avalanches to remain above the 12/21 crust/strom interface. If you head out into the snow over the holidays, you can help shape the forecast by letting us know what you see.

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