Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

Wet loose avalanches are your main concern on Tuesday. As temperatures warm, pay attention to snow surfaces becoming wet. If you begin sinking into the snow or noticing rollerballs coming down retreat to shadier aspects.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Temperatures are highest on Tuesday, increasing chances of wet loose avalanches. The forecast shows us seeing some sun, so expect the largest avalanches to occur on slopes where the sun shines most intensely. This will begin on easterly aspects in the morning before shifting south and then to the west in the afternoon. Mostly clear skies overnight will hopefully give us a reasonable surface refreeze in snow that got wet Monday, but expect surfaces to unlock quickly on Tuesday. 

    Below 3500ft softening won’t take long at all, and the snow may not remain supportable throughout the day. You could sink well over a foot into uncompacted snow in some areas. Steep slopes at these lower elevations are primed to avalanche deeper, so stay away from those slopes when you notice the snow becoming punchy. 

    At higher elevations wet loose avalanches will probably stay limited to the top 2-3 inches of snow which fell early Sunday. They could entrain large swaths of snow and travel far enough to cause damage. When you notice snow getting wet, you begin to sink in more, and see rollerballs retreat to shadier aspects.

    Recent small, natural wet loose avalanches and rollerballs. Expect ones similar to this or larger on Tuesday.

Avalanche Discussion

Two inches of snow fell Saturday night, and is remaining dry on upper elevation north aspects. At mid to upper elevations, conditions are remaining fairly winterlike with intermittent crusts and a mostly dry snowpack on the northern half.  In the southern half, snow is rapidly transitioning to spring conditions. Water still hasn’t travelled through much of the snowpack so it is mainly in the top couple feet where it appears so springlike. Large cornices are peeling off as we’re starting to experience these spring conditions, so exercise caution if you’re near them. 

Our neighbors in the Snoqualmie Pass zone experienced a large glide avalanche cycle with more than 10 avalanches documented over the weekend. These avalanches are challenging to predict and occur in isolated terrain features where the snowpack rests on a smooth, lubricated ground surface like grassy slopes or rock slabs. There are several areas with the right characteristics for glide avalanches to occur in the West Central zone. Keep a watchful eye out for crevasse-like cracks in the snowpack and avoid travel on or below slopes where they exist. 

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, continue to follow the latest guidance from local, state, and federal health officials. Avoid unnecessary risks that could impact first responders and stress medical resources.  Wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, and consider recreating closer to home.

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