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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 26th, 2017–Feb 27th, 2017

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Olympics.

Watch for generally shallow new wind slab on lee aspects above treeline. Fast moving loose dry avalanches are possible on steep slopes in non-wind affected terrain.

Detailed Forecast

A weak low pressure system moving south along the Washington Coast on Monday should produce light snow showers, mainly in the afternoon for the Olympics.  

Watch for generally shallow new wind slab formed Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning on lee aspects. Fresh wind slab may be found above treeline. Be aware that lower density snowfall received Sunday may obscure recently wind loaded slopes.  

Watch for loose dry avalanches on steeper slopes in non-wind affected terrain. Be especially wary of fast running loose dry avalanches near terrain traps. 

Give cornices a wide berth when traveling along ridgelines and avoid lingering on slopes below cornices as they may fail at any time.

Snowpack Discussion

Weather and Snowpack

The most recent atmospheric river arrived on Valentines Day 2/14 and formed the uppermost significant rain crust in our snowpack. 

A pair of storms deposited about a foot of snow in most areas by Monday 2/20. This was combined with periods of moderate to strong W-SW winds, forming wind slabs at the time. A slightly unstable weather pattern last week caused a mix of sun and light snow showers with sun crusts forming on solar aspects.

Saturday and Sunday were mostly cloudy with periods of light snow showers. NPS Rangers reported that 4.5 inches of snow had accumulated over the weekend. The most recent rain crust was supportable in many areas and aspects around Hurricane Ridge. 

Recent Observations

No observations have been received from the Olympics in the past few days.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the 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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.