Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Mon
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Kernpunkte

Who needs fireworks when you have sunshine and soft snow to ring in the New Year? This big shift from stormy to sunny could cause natural wet avalanches. Pay attention to the slopes above you and don’t linger underneath steep hillsides basking in the sun.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    While you may find a few clouds to start the day Sunday, skies should clear. For most locations, this will be the first time the new snow has seen significant sunshine. We expect this to result in natural loose wet slides. Rollerballs and snow shedding from trees will be your first clue the sun is impacting the snow and it’s time to seek our more shaded terrain. While you may trigger one of these avalanches on steep sunny slopes, you’ll also want to pay attention to the areas above you. Don’t linger under southerly aspects if you see natural avalanches nearby. 

    The lower sun angle and short days this time of year should limit the size and scale of any natural avalanche cycle. However, if you see avalanches growing larger or entraining significant amounts of snow, the danger is increasing more than expected. Put plenty of space between you and steep sunny slopes.

    (1/12/2022)

    Example: A small loose wet avalanche originating in rocky terrain. Note the small rollerballs in the left of the image. 

    Photo: Crystal Mt Ski Patrol

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Firm wind slabs continue to linger at mid and upper elevations. At least one such avalanche was triggered on Saturday in the Crystal backcountry (W, 6300ft) and one other was observed from a distance. These hard slabs may break above you, making them much more difficult to manage. Your best tool is avoidance. Steer around steep slopes with smooth pillow-like drifts, areas below fresh cornices, and pockets of firm hollow-sounding snow. Observations over the past several days at White Pass and Crystal indicated winds slabs not only formed along ridges but also on cross-loaded mid-slopes features.

    (12/31/2022) Public Field Report: Sourdough Gap Photo:

Avalanche Discussion

While locations near Crystal and Mt Rainier could pick up another inch or two of snow Saturday night, it shouldn’t amount to any new avalanche hazard. Instead, we’re fixated on the sky. Even though Crystal Mt has seen sunshine Friday and Saturday, most of the rest of the zone remained socked in with clouds. So, for those areas, this will be the first time the snow has seen the sun. You may encounter clouds in the morning, but we do expect skies to clear and the sun to come out. 

Stormy weather the past few weeks severely limited information from higher elevation terrain, especially on the volcanoes. If your plans include heading above treeline on Mt Rainier, Mt  Adams, or Mt St Helens, ease into the terrain by gathering information on lower consequence slopes first. 

Recent storms brought 15-30 inches (~1-3.45 in S.W.E) to the zone. You’ll likely find this settled into 12-24 inches of soft snow well bonded to the Christmas Crust. Even though subtle storm layers exist, observations have not found them to be much of a problem.

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