Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Kernpunkte

Avalanche danger will rapidly increase on Sunday as new snow and strong winds create fresh, unstable slabs. Don’t get caught off guard by stormy conditions. Stick to lower-angled, simpler terrain to reduce the risk of being caught in an avalanche.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

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

    The first significant storm in weeks is heading our way with periods of heavy snowfall and strong winds in the forecast. Avalanche danger should increase throughout the day. You are more like to trigger a fresh slab in wind-loaded terrain. Still, up to 1’ of new snow falling on a weak snow surface is reason enough to be suspect of all steep slopes, wind-loaded or not. 

    Don't ignore obvious signs of instability like whumphing, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches. Hand shears and test slopes can help you gauge the bond of new snow layers, but with weak layers in the upper snowpack, heavy snowfall, and stormy conditions, the best policy might be to simply avoid big, steep slopes.  

    (3/25/2023)

    Example of the kind of slab avalanche you could trigger on Sunday. 

    Photo: Jason Speer

Avalanche Discussion

Low elevations should see rain for a good chunk of this storm until snow levels lower a bit Sunday night. Rain on dry snow usually makes for some amount of avalanche activity. On the other hand, most low-elevation locations just don’t have the consistent snow cover needed for legitimate avalanche activity. 

Look for rollerballs and snow shedding from cliffs if traveling down low. Use extra caution around low-elevation terrain that is steep, smooth, and white. If snow levels are higher than forecast you could start seeing rain and wet avalanche activity at mid-elevations as well.

Observers up and down the west slopes reported lower wind speeds and less wind-transported snow than anticipated on Saturday. Lenticular clouds on Shuksan indicated winds in the alpine were much stronger than at mid-elevations.

There was more sun the farther south one traveled in the Cascades. The Baker area stayed partly cloudy most of the day and this kept most wet loose avalanche activity in check. More sun, wet snow, and small wet avalanches were the story at Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass. While we don't get a lot of observations from West Central, some folks made it to near Glacier Peak on Friday. You can read their report here.

If you make it out, please share what you found with an observation.

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