Avalanche forecast

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Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

While generally safe avalanche conditions are expected Tuesday, another warm day following a cool but not cold night should keep you on your toes and thinking about where wet snow avalanches might occur.  Terrain with large overhanging cornices and with snow clinging to steep rock faces can fail without warning during prolonged periods of mild weather.   

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Monday night's refreeze may be better than we've seen recently but freezing levels will likely shoot right back up on Tuesday along with a bigger helping of sunshine.  Continue to think about wet snow avalanches as you travel.  Sunshine, cloud cover, and the ambient temperature will all play a role on which aspects and elevations soften, or don't on any particular day. 

    If you encounter areas where you find wet punchy snow, you may trigger a wet loose avalanche on very steep slopes.  Don't let even a small wet loose avalanche push you into rocks, trees, or over a cliff.

    Last week large cornices failed and triggered avalanches on the slopes below.  Minimize your time underneath terrain where these large overhung features still linger.

    (3/22/2022)

    Large (D1.5) wet loose avalanche in one of the main Cutthroat paths above Hwy 20.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

With Hwy 20 road clearing operations underway and professional operations in the area spinning down for the season, your observations are as important as ever. If you're out and about, give us a shout and let us know what you see. 

A widespread natural wet loose avalanche cycle occurred last weak in the Washington Pass vicinity.  While recent avalanche activity centered on wet snow avalanches, there's still some winter-like layering to keep tabs on. On wind-sheltered NW-NE aspects near and above treeline, observers found near-surface facets 1-2 feet below the surface and often above a crust. This weak snow layer was involved with persistent slab avalanches near the Mount Baker ski area and other parts of the Cascades. A layered, winter snowpack still exists on some northerly aspects at higher elevations. Even though the avalanche danger is low, it's worth digging to look for any weak snowpack structure before committing to steep terrain. 

A deeper persistent weak layer still exists in the zone that was responsible for avalanches in early March. The layer can still be found about 3 feet deep, sandwiched between eroding crusts on NW-NE aspects near and above treeline and has been particularly problematic in the Harts Pass area. The most recent of these occurred on March 9th in Allen Basin. While triggering an avalanche on this layer (the late January facets) is very unlikely, the consequences could be serious. You can limit your exposure to shallow, rocky areas and steep and unsupported slopes. See the avalanche occurrence database for more details.

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