Boletín de aludes

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Tue
Alta montaña
3 · Notable
Límite del bosque
3 · Notable
Bajo el límite
3 · Notable
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó last year. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Peak avalanche instability will probably occur Sunday night, but wildly unpredictable wet avalanches will still happen on Monday, although the frequency of their occurrence will decrease.  Continue to avoid stepping out on steep slopes, and if you travel beneath large, steep terrain, do so with haste as you never know when a highly destructive avalanche may come down. Large avalanche paths may end in gullies, and other unsuspecting lower-angle slopes well below the treeline, so beware of these locations, even below the snowline. 

Problemas de aludes

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Likely
    Tamaño
    2–3

    Wet avalanches that aren't the small wet loose variety are, by and large, highly unpredictable. You never know when they are going to release. Even explosives might not trigger a wet slab avalanche, but three hours later the entire slope might decide to rip out all on its own.  Cornices can unexpectedly come tumbling down, triggering large and destructive avalanches on the slopes beneath them. Glide avalanches could release without warning. Expect any type of wet avalanche on Monday.

    Although your impact on a slope may not be what will initiate one of these wet avalanches, this still isn't a day to travel in steep terrain, given the massive temperature increase and rain that we've received in the last 48 hours (about 3 inches of water by Monday)! Previous to the rain, we've received 2-3 plus feet of snow over the last week or so, which heightens our concern for travel on steep terrain.

    The top of the lower elevation band could hold enough snow, plus a more saturated snowpack, to produce large wet avalanches. Large or very large avalanches from higher up may also run into the lower elevation band, catching you very unexpectedly, possibly in areas where snow isn't even in sight. 

    The probability of one of these large wet avalanches releasing is slightly reduced from Sunday night or the previous day, but they definitely may still happen. If you choose to travel beneath large avalanche paths, don't stop and have lunch under any massive overhead hazards - travel through this area quickly. 

    (2/22/2023)

    A large wet avalanche that ran from upper elevations and blocked the Church Mt Road above Hwy 542. A car was stuck behind this large debris pile for weeks. The road and forest was completely snow free. The avalanche happened the day after the main rain event, when we'd dropped danger to considerable- same as we're doing right now. 

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Likely
    Tamaño
    2

    Near the top of the upper elevation band, precipitation may actually remain snow on Monday. If you make it that far up, human-triggered large dry slab avalanches are likely, and natural avalanches are possible. Strong winds have redistributed the snow, and a number of recent storm interfaces that resulted in avalanches exist in the top couple feet of snow. We have, after all, received two to three plus feet of snow in small storms over the last week.

    If you access these dry snow strongholds at upper elevations, follow the same travel advice as what was given for wet slab avalanches. Avoid all steep slopes. Travel hastily beneath large avalanche paths as well. 

    (3/22/2025)

    A large avalanche (suspected human triggered) low on Table Mountain above Upper Bagley Lake. East-southeast aspect at 4800'. This was before the deluge, and at lower elevations than storm slab avalanches might happen on Monday. 

    (SS-AS/R-D2-O)

    Photo: Zack McGill - Cascade Mountain Ascents

Avalanche Discussion

We're in the midst of a rapid transition from weeks of rather stellar dry powder snow to warm temperatures and the deluge of an atmospheric river typical of the glorious PNW. The last couple of weeks have been riddled with human-triggered avalanches, partial burials, and a few unexpectedly more stable days that have for the most part, caught us by surprise. Some of the active days resulted in large (D2) avalanches being triggered, whereas at other times we predominantly had reports of several small (D1) avalanches. 

Following are a scattering of public observations from the last week while snow was predominantly dry: minimal avalanche activity at Schriebers, small avalanches at Eldorado, large avalanches in Swift Creek, small avalanches in the Enchanted Forest, and Table Mountain. It was quiet during Sunday's High avalanche danger and rain- although Mt Baker Ski Area managed to hang onto snow at most elevations for the day.

Temperatures will continue to increase over the next few days, although we're through with the bulk of the precipitation by Monday evening. Expect the snowpack to remain soggy, and lingering wet avalanche problems to remain a concern until we get a freeze. 

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