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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

More rain will maintain dangerous avalanche conditions at middle and upper elevations on Monday. Your best bet will be to avoid avalanche terrain as a whole until the storm has run its course. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

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

    Wet slabs are notoriously hard to forecast, but more rain and high freezing levels will certainly help maintain the threat of large, deadly wet slab avalanches. These types of avalanches are not the kind you tip-toe around. You are either in the way or not. Any slope above 35 degrees and the run-out of large avalanche paths - should all be considered suspect. The best policy will be to simply avoid travel on or near steep slopes that could avalanche. 

    (12/21/2020) 

    An example of a wet slab

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Monday may start a little cooler than Sunday, but look for precipitation to pick back up as the day progresses. The precipitation forecast will be similar to Sunday with another .50-.75 inches of rain. 

So far, as I write this the east-south snotels have almost picked up 1 inch of precipitation in the last 24 hours. Unfortunately, most of this likely fell as rain, with maybe with the exception of the highest ridgelines across the zone. 

Leading up to this storm, a weak, thin snowpack existed on shady aspects at mid and upper elevations. Bareground existed almost everywhere else. As new snow piles up, be ready to dig down to see how the new snow is bonding with the old snow surface. 

Low tide conditions still exist across much of the zone. Look for shallowly buried hazards such as rock, creeks, and trees. Don't let an early season injury end your season or your sleds season. 

We have limited observations from the East South. So if you get out, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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