Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Triggering avalanches is generally unlikely. You could encounter isolated areas of unstable snow where older wind drifts rest on a crust. Avoid larger slopes over 35 degrees if you notice shooting cracks or hear audible collapses. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1–1.5

    While avalanches are unlikely, there may be lingering unstable slabs on the leeward sides of ridges, below cornices, near the tops of chutes and couloirs, and scattered throughout the alpine. A combination of older west winds and more recent east winds may have drifted. 

    Pay attention to the direction of wind loading and use visual surface clues to help you identify the avalanche problem. Look for sharp drifts, pillow-like slabs, or dunes at the snow surface to help you spot where the wind has been at work. These slabs could break in surprising ways if they rest on surface hoar, facets, or recently buried crusts in the top 1-1.5 feet of the snowpack. Use small test slopes or hand pits to gauge how reactive the slab is. Consider steering around steep wind-loaded slopes if you notice active drifting or signs of instability, such as shooting cracks or hear whumphs. 

    (12/1/2023)

    Use small test slopes and look for signs of instability like this before committing to steeper slopes.

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

You can expect slight cooling for Sunday, with temperatures dropping further on Sunday night. Near the crest, there could be enough clearing in the second half of the day to warm mid-elevation slopes that have managed to stay dry.  You could see roller-balls, tho wet avalanches shouldn't be a problem.

Mission Ridge patrol triggered small avalanches with explosives on Saturday with one slide large enough to bury a person. These avalanches occurred in northerly terrain at upper elevations where older and more recently wind-drifted slabs rested on a crust from mid-December 10-16" below the surface. We suspect a layer of weak snow (12/19 surface hoar or facets) is sandwiched between the slabs and underlying crust. Observations generally point toward a developing weak upper snowpack but no significant avalanche hazard until there's more new snow or wind loading. On Friday, an observer near Blewett Pass observed this weak snowpack structure and propagating test results in wind-loaded pockets on the 12/19 crust-facet layer. Thursday, NWAC observers found a similar weak structure in the Dirtyface Mtn and Holden areas. 

The snow cover is still shallow. You may encounter exposed creeks, rocks, and logs at lower and middle elevations. 

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

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