Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Olympics.
Dangerous avalanche conditions will be limited to above treeline in the Olympics on Friday.
Detailed Forecast
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Moist and mild southwesterly flow will carry wet fronts across the area Thursday night and Friday. Snow levels will remain high, around 7000 feet before beginning to cool later Friday afternoon.Â
Little if any avalanche danger is expected Friday near or below treeline in the Olympics due to little if any recent snow or bare ground.
In areas above treeline where there is enough snow for avalanches, loose wet and isolated wet slabs are the main avalanche problems.Â
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Snowpack Discussion
The small amount of new snow received this week at Hurricane Ridge has been washed away from Thursday's rain. Â
The latest observations from Hurricane are from January 25th by pro-observer Katy Reid. She made a trip out to Mt. Angeles to one of the few above treeline areas accessible from Hurricane Ridge. She found snowdepths averaging 40-80 cm on N slopes with a few drifts above 1 meter. Snow cover was patchy only a few hundred feet below the ridge even on N facing slopes. This snow was well bonded consisting of melt forms and crusts and did not pose an avalanche problem.
There is currently not enough snow near and below treeline at Hurricane to cause avalanche danger.Â
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Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
Release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. They generally move slowly, but can contain enough mass to cause significant damage to trees, cars or buildings. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Move to colder, shadier slopes once the snow surface turns slushly. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs areas and long sustained steep pitches.
Several loose wet avalanches, and lots of pinwheels and roller balls.
Loose wet avalanches occur where water is running through the snowpack, and release at or below the trigger point. Avoid terrain traps such as cliffs, gullies, or tree wells. Exit avalanche terrain when you see pinwheels, roller balls, a slushy surface, or during rain-on-snow events.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 1
Wet Slabs
Release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slab avalanches can be very destructive.
Avoid terrain where and when you suspect Wet Slab avalanche activity. Give yourself a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty
A Wet Slab avalanche. In this avalanche, the meltwater pooled above a dusty layer of snow. Note all the smaller wet loose avalanches to either side.
Wet slabs occur when there is liquid water in the snowpack, and can release during the first few days of a warming period. Travel early in the day and avoiding avalanche paths when you see pinwheels, roller balls, loose wet avalanches, and during rain-on-snow events.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 1