Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Kernpunkte

Avoid travel on or below steep slopes where the snow is wet, sloppy, or actively shedding. Natural wet avalanches are possible, and rapidly changing weather will make it difficult to anticipate when instability will peak.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    Unstable wet snow conditions will continue through Friday. Variable weather throughout the day will make it difficult to anticipate when natural avalanches may occur. Expect alternating periods of slightly cooler temperatures and continued snowfall, followed by warmer conditions, a transition to light rain, and an increasing likelihood of wet avalanches.

    Wet avalanches are most likely on slopes below steep rocky headwalls, cliffs, and in treed terrain, but any steep slope should be treated with suspicion—especially during rain or periods of rapid warming. Both human- and naturally triggered avalanches are likely.

    (1/29/2026)

    Fresh wet loose avalanche on the north side of Table Mt above Iceberg Lake/West North. Northwest aspect at 5300'.

    (WL-N-D2-S)

    Photo: Harrison Brickman - Bellingham Mountain Rescue

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Strong winds will continue to move snow and build wind slabs at upper elevations, even as wet storm conditions and poor visibility limit travel into this terrain. Where slabs form, they sit on an older crust that has had two weeks to facet and weaken, creating a questionable interface. With limited visibility, assume wind loading is occurring even if it’s hard to see.

    The main concern is large, natural avalanches driven by continued wind loading at upper elevations. Avoid travel below big, open slopes connected to upper-elevation terrain where natural avalanches could initiate and run far.

    Blowing snow off ridgelines means the slopes below are likely loading up.

Avalanche Discussion

Dry January may be over, but Wet Almost-February isn’t shaping up to be much better. White Chuck picked up around 10 inches of wet new snow over the past day and a half from roughly 1.8 inches of precipitation, as recorded by the nearby Decline Creek SNOTEL. West Central weather stations are currently tracking more closely with West North than with either Stevens or Snoqualmie Pass. Both passes received less overall precipitation and snowfall, with some wet avalanche activity reported, though all were small in size.

In West North, warming temperatures and the transition to light rain coincided with a cycle of natural wet avalanches that entrained significant snow and reached D2 in size. Many were observed on all aspects at mid elevations. Wind-drifted terrain features produced minor cracking during the morning, but any slab reactivity quickly diminished as temperatures rose.

In all forecast zones, new snow is accumulating over a crust that previously capped the snowpack across elevations. The remaining question is whether faceting at the old crust surface could contribute to the release of large slab avalanches. Faceting has been observed on shaded aspects, but its distribution has been inconsistent. Rain at low and mid elevations will likely dampen or destroy any remaining facets beneath the new snow. Colder terrain at upper elevations and farther east in the zone is where faceted layers may be best preserved and capable of producing larger avalanches.

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