Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Use extra caution near any avalanche terrain, especially where strong winds have recently built slabs of snow. You can still easily trigger avalanches 2-3 feet deep in recent snow over a crust. Any triggered avalanche could be very large and difficult to survive.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Strong westerly winds built slabs on leeward slopes on Saturday. Use extra caution in or under avalanche paths, especially any that start near ridges. You could remotely trigger very large avalanches from far away, and natural slides could come down from above. Seek out wind-sheltered and low-angle terrain, under 30 degrees.You could trigger an avalanche on many steep slopes, but wind-loaded terrain will be the most dangerous. Avalanches in the new snow could be 2-3 feet deep and could run on a crust formed on the 12th. 

    Expect  larger avalanches that are easier to trigger farther west in the zone, near the Cascade Crest.

    (3/6/2026)

    A test slope showed unstable cracking in wind-loaded snow.

    Photo: Payton Schiff

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    You may still be able to trigger avalanches in wind-sheltered terrain, especially near the Cascade Crest. Steer around steep convexities and unsupported slopes. Make sure to travel one at a time and re-group in definitively safe areas. Avalanches in the recent snow could easily be big enough to bury and kill you.

    (3/13/2026) Photo: Chris Lile

Avalanche Discussion

Strong westerly winds will loaded leeward slopes on Saturday. Near the Cascade Crest, you can find recent snow resting on a crust, 2-3 feet deep. In the Wenatchee Mountains, you may not find the crust, but fresh and older wind slabs will be plentiful.We've been tracking the 2/13 buried surface hoar and facets around the 2/7 crust. These layers are likely buried 3-4ft deep in areas closer to the crest and much shallower farther east. Avalanche activity on these layers was isolated to wind-loaded terrain after the last February and early March storms, and we haven't had any activity since March 2nd.  While these layers haven't shown signs of reactivity in a while, this storm could change that. Given the ongoing loading, avalanches on these weak layers could now be more likely. But we won't know much about this problem until after the storm passes. So treat these weak snow layers as highly suspect until we can reduce the uncertainty. 

Regions covered