Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

On Monday, you'll encounter rising avalanche danger as the day progresses. The most likely spot where you'll trigger a large, surprising avalanche will be in pockets of drifted snow at middle and upper elevations. The best strategy will be to avoid steeper slopes that appear textured and loaded until the storm has run its course. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There have been multiple reported avalanches in wind-drifted snow over the past two days. Some of these slabs have propagated widely and broken up to 2 feet deep in favored locations. On Monday, these wind drifted slabs may be easily triggered - especially as precipitation ramps up and freezing levels increase during the later afternoon/evening hours. 

    You'll find these wind slabs on the leeward sides of ridges/saddles, below cornices, and under rock and cliff bands. You may also encounter them further down slopes than usual, like mid-slope features, due to recent strong winds. Use visual clues and look for textured surfaces, fresh cornice development, and pillow-like slabs at the surface to help you identify where the wind has been at work. Pull back and default to less exposed terrain if you notice shooting cracks under your feet or machine. 

    (1/6/2024)

    You can trigger similar avalanches on Monday.

    This skier triggered avalanche occured in a wind loaded area on a NE Aspect @ 6000 ft near Blewett Pass on Saturday. This avalanche likely stepped down into old snow from December.

    SS-AS-R2-D2-O

    Photo: Max Steed

Avalanche Discussion

Observers reported endless signs of instability across the region this weekend. Backcountry travelers reported numerous close calls in addition to many reports of red flags like shooting cracks, whumping collapses, and propagating test results. All these observations are still relevant for the east-south since parts of the zone received significant new snow, which now rests over a poor structure. 

The Pacific Northwest is heading into a really active weather pattern these next few days. New snow will be measured in feet and will surely test our current snowpack structure. Across the eastern cascades, observers have been finding weak snow and buried surface hoar next to a crust that now rests 1-2 ft below the snow surface. These layers have already produced avalanches in the Blewett Pass and Paradise areas and will continue as more weight is added to this weak snowpack. The best approach will be to temper your stoke and avoid larger, steep slopes until this storm cycle has run its course. 

Saturday's storm was a good producer for parts of the East South. Weather stations near Bumping Lake reported up to 10 inches of new snow. However, significantly less snow fell near Green Lake ( 3 inches) and closer to White Pass. 

Early season conditions still exist across much of the zone. Look for hidden hazards such as downed trees, stumps, creeks, and rocks. These types of hazards can easily exacerbate the consequence of even a small avalanche

If you get out let us know what you see by submitting a public observation!

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