Avalanche forecast

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Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

A few inches of new snow is improving riding conditions but beware of steep or unsupported wind-loaded slopes at upper elevations. Expect the potential for small, wet loose avalanches on steep slopes that face the sun with daytime warming. Keep overhead hazards such as large cornices in mind as you travel. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    There's enough new snow and wind that you may find fresh wind slabs on lee slopes above treeline.  Shooting cracks or hollow-sounding snow are signs you could trigger an avalanche on similar slopes. Steer around obvious wind features like freshly drifted snow and wind pillows.  Avoid steep slopes below cliff bands where spin drifts may form locally deeper wind slabs. If you find that similar conditions extend further down in elevation,  seek out lower angle and wind-sheltered terrain. 

    Cornices are large and sagging in some areas, keep on the lookout for these as they've been breaking off somewhat regularly over the past few days. 

    A skier intentionally triggered a small wind slab avalanche on a SW aspect at 74000ft near Washington Pass.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Stronger sun and fresh snow could make for small wet loose avalanches where more than about 5" of snow sits over a crust. Keep these on your radar as the daytime begins to warm up. Look for rollerballs and wet, sticky snow as a sign that these could begin happening on steep slopes near you. Time your travels to avoid steep slopes after they've had more than a couple hours of sun to avoid getting avalanched by a wet loose slide. Both dry and wet loose could be triggered on steep slopes on Monday. 

    Example small loose wet avalanches.

Avalanche Discussion

The start of March marked a change from our cold and snowy February with milder temperatures, periods of sunshine and freezing levels rising as high 7000'.  Cooler temperatures arrived late Friday night, helping to reduce the threat of cornice fall that had peaked earlier in the week.  Observers on Sunday found small loose avalanches were almost becoming big enough to push a skier around. Observers in the Varden Creek drainage on Saturday found 2-3" of new snow, and wind slabs were unreactive within old snow. At 6600', the mid-January crust could be found down around 4' but was unreactive in snowpack tests.  The crust disappears in this area somewhere above 6,600ft.  The most recent February avalanche cycles in this zone likely released down to the 2/18 interface.  Avalanche debris from the latter half of February is still visible in many paths. 

Regions covered