Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Give steep unsupported terrain with recent storm snow another day to stabilize, especially at mid and upper elevations.  Larger and more consequential slides are possible on recently wind-loaded slopes in higher terrain.  Fresh drifting may occur along ridgelines as winds increase Wednesday. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    In neighboring West North, where similar recent storm totals piled up, several smaller human-triggered storm slab avalanches were observed on Tuesday, with an older, larger natural avalanche that likely occurred sometime Sunday night or Monday morning.  While storm instabilities should be healing, we're still well in the window where you want to give steep unsupported slopes and convex rollovers another day of caution.  Steer towards less extreme and more supported terrain to lower your risk of triggering a slide in the recent storm snow. 

    We have little information about upper elevations, where slabs will be deeper, more consequential, and stiffer in recently wind-loaded terrain.   Firm wind slabs may be difficult to assess and often surprise travelers.  Winds are forecast to increase on Wednesday and should begin moving snow along ridgelines and higher peaks.  Observe where winds are drifting new and recent snow;  fresh wind slabs will likely grow over the next few days.  

    In nearby zones (Stevens, Snoqualmie, West South, East Central), weak older snow layers have reared their ugly head. Avalanches have broken widely, triggered remotely, and released low on the slope. Travelers have experienced long shooting cracks, audible whumpfs, and collapses. We don’t know much about the state of these layers in the West Central zone, but take a moment and read the nearest-neighbor avalanche forecast for more information.

    (2/24/2026)

    Human triggered avalanche on a SE aspect of Mt Herman in neighboring West North Tuesday.  

    These should may be more stubborn to trigger on Wednesday, but continue to give them caution on steep unsupported features. 

    Photo: Jere Burrell

Avalanche Discussion

The most recent storm period dropped 1.0'-2.0' in the West Central zone before snow tapered off Monday afternoon.  On Iron Mt on Tuesday, NWAC forecasters found 20-30cm of settling recent storm snow around 5000'.   While weak snow grains were identified in the upper snowpack, snowpack tests and small test slopes did not point to a persistent slab issue in this small slice of a very large forecast zone.   Low clouds produced mist and a new zipper crust up to 5200' Tuesday afternoon.  

Avalanche professionals throughout the Cascades this week reported several weak layers below the recent snow, including sugary facets, surface hoar, and stellars, often prompting them to dial back their terrain choices. We haven’t confirmed any avalanches on these layers in the West Central zone, but other parts of the region are dealing with persistent slab issues.  If you're traveling to southern parts of the zone, slow down.  Take the time to investigate the upper snowpack, as you may encounter a more complex and harder-to-manage snowpack. 

We’d love to believe all this recent snow magically erased our travel woes. Sadly, that’s not the case. Snowpacks at lower elevations and in the forest are still very thin. Open creeks, random holes, and downed logs make routes meandering and long. Give yourself extra time to manage our persistent travel hazards.

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