Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

A few inches of new snow and strong winds will likely create new shallow slabs of wind-drifted snow where you could trigger an avalanche. Identify these stiff, textured, pillow-like drifts near ridges and steep rocky terrain. Use caution in very steep or consequential terrain, and you should steer around these stiff slabs if you see shooting cracks or other signs of instability. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    While this incoming storm won't deliver much for new snow, strong winds will drift snow over ridgetops and onto the lee slopes below. Fresh wind slabs will probably be small and isolated to steep terrain features at high elevations. However, these shallow wind slabs could still have high consequences in extreme terrain. The most likely places to trigger these avalanches will likely be in alpine terrain with steep bowls below ridges, confined gullies, and near the base of cliffs. Look for actively blowing snow and pillow-like features as visual clues of wind slabs. You can also use quick hand pits to feel for stiff wind-deposited snow over softer snow layers. If stiff snow slides easily in hand pits or you observe cracks shooting away from your skis, boots, or snowmobile, travel on low angle terrain or move to wind-sheltered areas.

    If traveling near the Cascade Crest, along the border of West South Zone, you may find more snow and larger wind slabs. Check out the West South Forecast for more information. 

    (1/22/2023)

    You may notice shallow instabilities like this on Sunday. Look for wind-stiffened snow, cracking,  or snow sliding easily to help you identify areas of concern. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

We anticipate just a few inches of snow from this storm, but luckily the cold temperatures could result in high water-to-snow ratios, potentially producing a nice refresh of up to 4" of new snow.

On Friday, we traveled under sunny and clear skies in the Ahtanum Meadows area. The sun moistened snow surfaces, but not enough to tip the scales and produce wet avalanches. We also found plenty of wind-effected snow but no wind slab avalanches or other signs of instability. The cold temperatures expected for Saturday night and Sunday will refreeze these moist surfaces, creating a firm crust for the new snow to fall on Saturday. Be sure to take a look at the bonding to this crust before committing to consequential terrain. Even a small avalanche could run far and fast, sweeping you off your feet in those types of conditions.

The MLK crust is approximately 1.5" thick, supportable for boots and snowmobiles. While the 1/4 surface hoar can is buried and obvious beneath this crust, it is unlikely that you could trigger an avalanche on this deeper weak layer. We did identify a layer of weak faceted snow above the MLK crust at higher elevations. However, test results and other observations did not suggest a widespread problem on this layer. We are still tracking it as a potential layer of concern with additional snow.

If you get out into the mountains of the East-South, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation!

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