Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The majority of consequential wind slabs should be on the volcanoes on Friday. Look for sharp cornices and pillow-like drifts to help identify wind-loaded features to avoid. Elsewhere, you may find wind effect or loose snow sliding on a crust.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    A fresh crop of wind slabs could form on Thursday night and Friday as wind speeds and snowfall ramp up. The larger and more consequential slabs should be found on the volcanoes or at upper elevations near the crest. Look for actively blowing snow, new drifts, or textured surfaces to help indicate wind-loaded features to avoid. They will be more likely near the base of cliffs, on leeward ridgelines, or in rocky chutes. Although you may find wind effect lower in the terrain,  we don't anticipate slabs to be large enough to reach the threshold for consequential avalanches. 

    (2/7/2024)

    Textured surfaces on Mount St. Helens indicate that the wind has been a player there recently.

    Photo: Danyel Fisher

Avalanche Discussion

This isn't an overly large storm, but it's the biggest pulse we've seen this week. It should once again favor the volcanoes, where the snow has slowly been stacking up over the Early February Crust (EFC) all week. NWAC's weather station at Paradise has recorded roughly 10 inches of snow since the end of our last atmospheric river event, while the crest has nearly half that amount. We don't have an accurate snow total for the southern volcanoes, but they've received roughly 6-12 inches in the neighboring Mt. Hood zone. On Wednesday, a public observation from Mount St. Helens indicated that surfaces were wind-pressed, and sun-exposed slopes produced rollerball activity.

Reports from the Crystal area and Mt. Hood indicate that a moderate to poor bond has been found between this week's snow and the EFC. Regardless of location, focus on this interface when performing your stability assessments. You might find buried surface hoar or near-surface facets in some places. Avalanche professionals found them near Crystal earlier this week, and they have been the culprit of avalanche activity down at Hood recently. On Thursday, professionals in the Crystal area reported a new melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes. This has created a crust sandwich with soft snow and the EFC.

On Friday, you could encounter loose (moist or dry) snow running on the Early February Crust on steep unsupported slopes. We do not currently have any concerns deeper in the snowpack. 

Our recent atmospheric river event didn't just create a stout crust; it left us with difficult travel conditions. Open holes and creeks, firm crusts, exposed natural hazards such as rocks and logs, and refrozen avalanche debris now litter the landscape. As each small storm wave rolls through, travel has been slowly improving throughout the week, but we have a ways to go. Give yourself extra time to avoid these hazards, and be prepared with flexible travel plans if your route is obscured. 

Regions covered