Boletín de aludes

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Mon
Alta montaña
2 · Moderado
Límite del bosque
2 · Moderado
Bajo el límite
2 · Moderado
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 5 years ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Warming temperatures may contribute to wet loose avalanche danger on steep slopes that catch the sun on Sunday. Wind slabs may develop in unusual locations with strong east winds. Use a cautious mindset, evaluating for instabilities like shooting cracks and recent avalanches before committing to steep slopes. 

Problemas de aludes

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1–2

    The deep new snow is not fully settled yet,  so warm temperatures and sun may initiate a round of large loose wet avalanches. Very steep terrain that catches the sun will be the most dangerous. The 4ft of storm snow could also glide off rock features. Stay out from underneath very steep slopes that catch the sun, especially mid-day. If you notice glopping and heavy, wet snow over dry snow surfaces, it's time to get off steep slopes.

    Roof avalanches will continue to pose a threat, so use caution and make sure children and pets stay well out from impact zones.

    (1/8/2022)

    Example wet loose avalanche from Mt Rainier NP.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1.5–2.5

    Easterly winds are forecast to increase and may transport snow in exposed locations. Intense wind drifting of snow from westerly winds likely occurred Friday afternoon. Expect to find thick wind slabs on a variety of aspects because of this. Look for shooting cracks, and feel for strong over weak layering. These wind slabs may feel stiff, or hollow. Cornices could collapse if you go near them and trigger very large avalanches.

    Use caution, and carefully consider each steep slope separately. Stay off of steep slopes that are actively being loaded by the wind. Recognize that avalanches could be triggered even after a person or two, or three have been on the slope. 

    (1/7/2022)

    Intense wind drifting of snow observed in the East Central zone on Friday afternoon.

    Photo: Matt Primomo

Avalanche Discussion

There is minimal access to most of the zone as Highway 2 is closed. Weather stations are down because of the lack of power. Uncertainty is high for these reasons. Cleanup is expected to take some time from all of the avalanches and heavy new snow that have covered the road. On Friday WSDOT crews reported triggering D3.5 avalanches on the pass with control work. They observed natural avalanches in the D2.5 size range, some of which had occurred recently, and some had occurred on Thursday. On Thursday, they reported multiple avalanches at least D3 in size hitting the closed highway west of Stevens Pass. In Tumwater Canyon, WSDOT reported over 208 debris piles on Highway 2 up to 15 feet deep, and several ran into the river. 10 of those slides were very large.

Before the storm, observers noted a couple of buried layers of large, faceted stellars and surface hoar. These layers are probably 3-5ft down at this point, and could be weak layers for slab avalanches.

Stay tuned as the saga of this epic storm unravels, and be sure to share your observations with us on the site here.

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