Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Wet avalanches are likely somewhere in the zone, though their extent will vary. Thick, sticky surface snow means higher avalanche potential—avoid steep slopes and move quickly through runouts and gullies, especially if you’re seeing natural activity. If crusts remain at or near the surface, expect limited avalanche activity.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    Observations on Tuesday from neighboring zones ranged from large natural wet avalanches midday to minimal recent wet avalanche activity. We wouldn't be surprised if there was a similar range in the West Central zone. 

    Clouds are expected Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, with some afternoon sun possible. Freezing levels will climb above 10,000 ft. With highly variable conditions, uncertain cloud cover, and limited observations, it’s hard to predict how the snow will respond.

    You’ll need to assess conditions as you travel on  Wednesday. Rollerballs or natural avalanches are clear signs to avoid steep terrain and runout zones. If the snow feels wet and mushy and you’re sinking several inches, wet avalanches are possible even if you don’t see activity—steep terrain is best avoided. Where crusts remain near the surface, avalanche activity is less likely.

    If full sun breaks through, expect rapid warming on steep south-facing slopes and possibly large wet avalanches that could wind their way far downhill. 

    Example photo: Large, destructive wet loose avalanches could still happen on Wednesday. 

Avalanche Discussion

We just received a report of a very large natural slab avalanche (media gallery) that likely occurred during peak instability a couple days ago on the south side of Forbidden Peak, in the southeast corner of the West North zone, not far at all from the West Central zone. The avalanche likely failed on an underlying weakness near the crust that was buried on Jan 28. We don't expect a human to trigger an avalanche on this layer, but a smaller avalanche or cornice fall may initiate an avalanche like this. We suspected that there could be lingering weaknesses near the crust further east in the zone, and this confirms our suspicions. 

At lower elevations, where there's only a few inches of snow or less over the stout crust, danger is Low- except in runouts like gullies or other terrain that is beneath large overhead paths holding deep snow. This stout crust, given the recent soggy weather, might be breaking down at these lower elevations as well, but even if it's soft, it's well adjusted to moisture so we don't expect it to avalanche. 

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