Avalanche forecast

Central Cascades

Central Oregon Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanches large enough to bury or injure a rider will be unlikely on Tuesday.  Continue to use safe travel practices and carry avalanche rescue gear.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    A cloudy and breezy day on Tuesday with temperature highs more than 10 degrees cooler than Monday will result in wet loose avalanches becoming smaller, less likely, and more predictable. Additionally, going in to Tuesday we have a few consecutive days of melt-freeze cycle to help settle our upper snowpack. That being said, I am not quite ready to remove this problem entirely for Tuesday.  Cloudy skies through the night could result in a greenhouse effect to the snow surface and inhibit a widespread overnight freeze. Additionally, despite the forecasted cloudy sky cover, there will be periods of sun peaking through that could quickly de-stabilize surface snow. It is worth keeping wet loose in the back of your mind on any steep mid- to lower- elevation slopes receiving direct sunlight, especially later in the day. Monitor the snow surface throughout your travels, and if you notice slushy snow penetrating above your boot top, consider shadier slopes.

Avalanche Discussion

Last week's new snow proved to be essential in helping our lower elevation snowpack get through the last few days of very warm and sunny weather. While upper mountain snow depths remain healthy, our lower access is getting more challenging. Yesterday was about four miles of walking on dirt out of Pole Creek Trailhead before being able to skin, and today was a similar situation for the first couple hundred feet out of Dutchman going up Tumalo. Fortunately, the rest of the week is looking a bit cooler, and there may be a dash of new snow on our horizon for this weekend. I'm not holding my breath though, so get out and enjoy it while we still can!

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