Avalanche forecast

West 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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

New snow, wind, and stormy conditions will increase avalanche danger throughout the day. Stick to lower-angle, sheltered terrain and be prepared for periods of poor visibility. Early-season hazards like rocks, downed trees, and open creeks lurk just below the snow surface.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    The new snow is stacking up, with roughly another foot today on top of what we picked up Thursday and Friday. With more snow in the forecast, expect to find any combination of avalanche problems, including wind slab, loose dry, and storm slabs in more sheltered terrain. All this snow sits over a crust that produced small human-triggered avalanches on Friday and poor snowpack test results on Saturday. 

    Use the crust beneath the new snow to track changes in new snow and wind slab depth as you climb higher or switch aspects. Test slopes and hand pits can provide information about the bond of new snow layers. Shooting cracks and recent avalanches are telltale signs that you will probably trigger an avalanche if you venture into steep terrain. 

     

     

     

    (3/22/2021)

    Triggering a small slab in small terrain means there is a good chance you will get a bigger one on a bigger slope.

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

Snowfall continued throughout the day in West Central. The White Chuck Tripod saw another 10-inch increase in base depth and is reporting about 45 inches at 5000 feet in elevation. The new snow fell as temperatures slowly rose. SNOTEL sites recorded anywhere from 0.8 to 1.5 inches of precipitation in the last 24 hours. This roughly equates to 8–16 inches of new snow, with the lower amounts found east in the forecast zone.

Observations have started to trickle in over the last few days. In West North, avalanche control work ahead of opening day at Mt. Baker Ski Area produced numerous small soft slab avalanches, triggered in both wind-exposed and more sheltered terrain. An observer on Mt. Baker found wind slabs more stubborn than the day prior. The most notable finding was a weak bond at the crust–new snow interface buried on December 18. This crust is found throughout the West Slopes of the Cascades and is suspected to extend into upper-elevation terrain, but its full extent remains unknown.

On-the-ground observations remain sparse due to shallow snow cover and access challenges from recent washouts and landslides. Be prepared to assess the actual avalanche danger for yourself as you climb into snow-covered terrain. Variations in precipitation and new snow totals, snow on the ground, and temperatures can result in markedly different conditions within a single forecast zone.

The weather over the past few weeks has been extraordinary, with torrential rains, extreme winds, flooding, and landslides. Many communities are dealing with damage to homes, infrastructure, and businesses, stretching resources thin. These events have limited access to the mountains for all of us. State and local resources are working diligently to reduce the worst of these impacts. We can help by being respectful of local communities, obeying road closures, and heeding ski area uphill travel policies.

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