Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Dangerous avalanche conditions persist as another round of mountain rain soaks the snowpack. Wet avalanches could occur on any steep slope, fail on deeper layers in the snowpack, and entrain significant amounts of snow as they slide. It's hard to know when and where they'll happen, so limit your time traveling or beneath slopes steep enough to avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Large to very large wet avalanches are likely on Friday as another burst of high-elevation rain impacts the zone. The snowpack has been picking up rain for nearly 5 days now, and the focus has shifted from small, loose avalanches to larger, slab avalanches. As it rains, free water will move deeper into the snowpack and potentially push older layers to the point of failure. 

    These avalanches are notoriously hard to predict or assess in the field.  Human-triggered avalanches are likely, but a natural release is not out of the question. If they occur, any slide could be big, wet, heavy, and nasty. You don't want to be on or beneath the slope when they happen. The best move is to limit your time on or beneath steep terrain, cornices, or rocky features. 

    (3/18/2026)

    A drone shot of natural, wet slab avalanches in the Crystal Mountain area.  These large, unpredictable slides could travel far distances and gouge into last week's storm snow.

    Photo: Crystal Mountain Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Rainfall continued across the West South on Thursday, with Chinook and Paradise weather stations recording over half an inch of water. Crystal Mountain and areas south of Highway 12 saw a bit less. Crystal Mountain Pro Patrol triggered two large (D2 and D2.5) wet slabs with explosives, which failed on a crust 18" beneath the surface. Around Crystal Mountain, water has penetrated up to 3 feet deep into the snowpack.

This week has brought a prolonged period of high-elevation rain and warm temperatures across the Pacific Northwest. Similar weather will persist through Friday, with a final push of rain lasting into the late afternoon. A cooling trend will begin on Friday, but don’t expect a return to snow except at the upper elevations.

With more rain on the way, wet avalanches are still the primary concern. Unfortunately, these problems are difficult to predict and challenging to assess in the field. Small slope tests are not the tool for assessing these problems. With this level of uncertainty, it’s best to rely on the facts: Large wet avalanches, both natural and explosive-triggered, have been observed in the West South over the past several days. And the additional round of rain will only further strain the already wet snowpack. It's hard to know what slopes will release, and when. Thus, it's not a bad idea to limit your time on or beneath steep, consequential terrain altogether.

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