Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

Anticipate slab avalanches in wind-drifted snow below ridgeline at mid and upper elevations. Windy weather and poor visibility could make navigating and assessing stability in bigger, more open terrain difficult. When in doubt, fall back to more sheltered, lower-angled, and simpler terrain to reduce the likelihood of triggering and avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Avalanche danger should increase throughout the day as moderate winds drift snow into fresh slabs. Blowing and drifting snow will point the way toward the slopes that are loading up the fattest with new snow. Changes in snow depth and stiffness can also help identify areas with more wind loading. Test slopes cuts, hand pits, and stomping on wind-drifted features can help you guage stability. Move to simpler and lower-angled terrain if you observe widespread signs of instability or natural or human-triggered avalanches.

    Small wind loaded features at ridgeline can serve as test slopes to gauge the reactivity of fresh wind slabs.

Avalanche Discussion

NWAC is devastated to report the death of one of our Avalanche Forecasters, Matt Primomo. Tragically, Matt passed away in a non-avalanche accident away from work on Thursday, March 7th. Matt has been a key member of the NWAC family since 2017. His life in the mountains touched so many people. We are absolutely heartbroken. Please join us as we mourn this immense loss with Matt’s family, friends, and community.

Discussion: 

With warm temperatures and a bit of rain or wet snow, you could see rollerballs and small wet avalanches at mid and lower elevations.  Natural wet loose avalanches tend to initiate in cliffy or treed terrain. You can also get wet snow moving downhill with you when descending steep slopes. Avoid being on or directly under steep terrain at lower elevations if it’s raining or the snow is thick, mushy, and wet. 

Friday was reported as a typical transition day between calmer weather in the last week and the next round of storms. Snowfall was minimal but strong winds built small, reactive slabs in forecast zones neighboring West Central. A rise in temperatures before the storm moistened the snow surface enough to see rollerballs. No significant avalanches were reported as of Friday afternoon other than a small but remotely triggered wind slab avalanche in Snoqualmie Pass.

Besides fresh slabs of new and wind-drifted snow, the main factor affecting stability going into the weekend is how much surface hoar survived the first round of wind and increasing temperatures. With moderate alpine winds and mid-elevation temperatures above freezing, it’s likely that much of it blew away or melted down. On the other hand, West Central is a big zone, and some surface hoar will survive in sheltered areas that stayed a bit cooler.

 

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