Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
Open full map
Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 4 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Large wet snow avalanches ran naturally Monday into Tuesday as temperatures rose. A slight cooling trend begins early Wednesday, and it will become harder to trigger these avalanches as the day progresses. Slides could, however, become larger and more destructive if they step down to a buried weak layer we’re finding above a crust.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    Small to large natural wet snow avalanches occurred Tuesday, and it was easy for a human to trigger a wet loose avalanche on slopes greater than 35 degrees. Temperatures begin cooling Tuesday night, and the likelihood for triggering wet loose avalanches will decrease. If the day starts with wet and sloppy snow, you might still be able to trigger a wet loose avalanche on steep slopes. If this is the case, steer around steep slopes until the snow sets up more. This will likely be the case by later in the day  As temperatures cool and wet snow avalanche concerns dissipate, there's a small chance that wet slab avalanches could still occur, as water percolates through the snowpack.  Pay attention to conditions as they evolve throughout the day, making note of how wet the snow is, and adjust your travel based on your findings.

    (3/22/2022)

    A medium sized wet loose avalanche which occurred naturally Monday night or Tuesday.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    3

    The unseasonable warmth and added water on the snowpack could slightly elevate the chances of a very large slab avalanche occurring. We previously saw avalanches on this deep persistent layer a week ago, which most likely occurred on the March 8 facet layer, now buried 3-4+ feet deep. With the addition of a smaller avalanche or cornice fall as a potential trigger, this makes a failure at this deep layer more real. 

    This isn’t really a “manageable” avalanche problem that can be figured out. You are either in the terrain where one of these large, unsurvivable avalanches could occur, or you are not. If you choose to travel in these areas you are simply accepting a slightly higher risk of triggering or being exposed to a very large avalanche. 

    (3/18/2022)

    A snowmobiled triggered slab that failed on the March 8th facets at approximately 6800ft on an eastern aspect.  This is when it was more shallowly buried.

    Photo: Andrew Kiefer

Avalanche Discussion

Light rain midday, with a snowline dropping through the near treeline elevation, is not expected to be enough to elevate the wet loose avalanche danger, but pay attention to snow conditions as the rain falls. There is uncertainty about how the snowpack will evolve as the weather changes. Wet snow could stay reactive for a little longer, or avalanches could become less frequent early in the day. Stay alert and pay close attention to changing conditions in the backcountry as you travel. Don’t ignore obvious signs like recent nearby avalanches. 

Abgedeckte Regionen