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Archived

Avalanche Forecast

Jan 6th, 2019–Jan 7th, 2019
Alpine
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
1: Low
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low
Alpine
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be moderate

Regions: Cascades - East.

If you travel near ridgelines or on exposed slopes near and above treeline, you will probably see areas where the wind has drifted the new snow into firm slabs. You are most likely to trigger an avalanche where these rest on steep slopes.

Snowpack Discussion

January 6, 2019

This latest round of storms in early January continues to highlight some of this season’s region-wide themes in our snowpack. I’d describe them as Bottom to Top, North to South, and East to West. Let’s take a look at each of these.

Bottom to Top:

In general this winter has been on the warm side in the Cascades. No where is that more evident than in the lack of low elevation snow. Heavy rain events continue to wash-away and thoroughly wet the lower elevation snowpack. In most regions you will see substantial increase is the height of snow from low elevations (3000 ft), to mid elevations (4500 ft), and again at upper elevations  (5500/6000 ft). Above the typical rain lines (5000-6000 ft) a deep and cold mid-winter snowpack exists.

Jan 5, 2019: The dark timber in the Coast Range highlights the thin snowpack at lower elevations and the deeper winter-like snowpacks near and above treeline: Photo: Simon Trautman

North to South:

With few exceptions, this season’s storm tracks have favored the North Cascades. Sunday, Mt Baker’s Heather Meadows weather station passed 100 inches of snow on the ground. A quick look around the state’s weather stations demonstrates just how deep this snowpack is. Most other locations are reporting between 50 and 75 inches. The massive amounts of snow for the northern forecast zones are reflected in several impressive avalanche cycles spread out over the last month.

NWAC weather station graph of the height of snow on the ground. Mt Baker passed the 100 inch mark Sunday.

East to West:

Several stacked persistent weak layers have been buried in the eastern forecast zones. This isn’t unusual, but it is noteworthy. The thickness of the slabs over these weak layers can vary greatly. Closer to the Cascade Crest, the deep snowpack may more closely resemble Stevens or Snoqualmie Passes. Further east, shallower snowpacks, and significant variability are keeping snowpack assessment tricky.

Canadian sized surface hoar found buried by 18” of snow in Icicle Creek above Leavenworth on December 31st: Photo by Matt Primomo.

So what now? Well, on January 3 and 4 a high elevation rain event impacted areas from Mt Baker to Mt Hood. In many locations this has created a firm and thickening crust. In these locations, this new crust is limiting the impacts of any deeper weak layers. In locations that didn’t receive as much rain like WA Pass, Mission Ridge, Crystal Mt, and White Pass, how the small amount of rain impacted the mid and lower snowpacks remain to be seen.

Rain and rime crust at 6,500ft above Gallagher Head Lake in the East Central Zone, Jan 5th. This layer was 3 inches thick in this location. Matt Primomo photo.

One thing is for sure, we’re not even a month into the winter season, there’s a lot more winter to come.

 

Avalanche Problems

Wind Slabs

With colder temperatures, moderate winds, and another shot of snow, wind slabs will be a concern at upper elevations. In locations where wind has drifted the new snow into firmer and thicker slabs, you may be able to trigger an avalanche. The new snow may be poorly bonded to a firm, refrozen crust. Use small, inconsequential test slopes to check how these slabs are bonding. You are most likely to find wind slabs just below ridgelines, and on the sides of cross loaded gullies on open slopes. Look for wind driven snow, fresh cornices, and snow drifts to indicate wind slabs may be on nearby slopes. You can use wind stripped areas, ridgelines, and lower angled slopes to avoid triggering wind slabs as you travel.

Release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

 

Wind Slabs form in specific areas, and are confined to lee and cross-loaded terrain features. They can be avoided by sticking to sheltered or wind-scoured areas..

 

Wind Slab avalanche. Winds blew from left to right. The area above the ridge has been scoured, and the snow drifted into a wind slab on the slope below.

 

Wind slabs can take up to a week to stabilize. They are confined to lee and cross-loaded terrain features and can be avoided by sticking to sheltered or wind scoured areas.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood: Possible

Expected Size: 1 - 1

Persistent Slabs

Folks have been consistently finding a layer of buried surface hoar from Christmas. From Mission Ridge, to Icicle Creek, to Dirty Face, its out there. You are likely to find this layer from 1 to 2 feet down from the surface. This layer is mainly a concern above 6,000ft, where the absence of a stout melt freeze crust above it may be keeping it in play. Recorded activity on this layer has been on Northerly through Southeasterly aspects. These avalanches were surprising in how widely they broke across the slopes. Be suspect of steep, open slopes at the uppermost elevations. Be observant of shooting cracks or collapsing, or the absence of a thick rain crust near the surface. At lower elevations, where water has percolated through much of the upper snowpack and has formed a stout melt freeze crust, this layer is much less of a concern. 

The further east you get, the less snow there is on the ground. Recent observations from Mission Ridge and above Mazama speak to a shallow snowpack with weak snow near the ground. This poor snowpack structure warrants respect, because if the layer near the ground failed, the avalanche could be well over 4 feet deep. Places to be cautious of in particular are where stiff slabs sit over weak snow, slopes where grass and rocks poke through with deep drifts nearby, and steep, unsupported slopes on the eastern edge of the range.

Release of a cohesive layer of soft to hard snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slabs.

 

The best ways to manage the risk from Persistent Slabs is to make conservative terrain choices. They can be triggered by light loads and weeks after the last storm. The slabs often propagate in surprising and unpredictable ways. This makes this problem difficult to predict and manage and requires a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty.

 

This Persistent Slab was triggered remotely, failed on a layer of faceted snow in the middle of the snowpack, and crossed several terrain features.

Persistent slabs can be triggered by light loads and weeks after the last storm. You can trigger them remotely and they often propagate across and beyond terrain features that would otherwise confine wind and storm slabs. Give yourself a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood: Possible

Expected Size: 2 - 2