Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Immediately adjacent to the Cascade Crest, slabs of wind drifted snow loiter in exposed, upper elevation terrain. In these same areas of the zone, recently fallen snow will begin to soften and weaken throughout the day, increasing the chance of triggering a wet snow avalanche. Avalanche conditions are generally safe further east in the zone where no new snow exists.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Once you get into higher alpine terrain near the Cascade Crest, you will start running into recently fallen snow that has been previously drifted. Look for clear signs that unstable slabs exist, such as shooting cracks from your equipment or recent slab avalanches. Wind slabs typically form just below ridgelines and within concave terrain features (cross-loading). You can use tactile and visual clues such as textured, uneven snow surfaces and a change to denser feeling snow underneath you to help guide where slabs may lurk. The likelihood of triggering a wind slab is trending down, and it's unlikely you'd trigger one big enough to bury you. But a slab could sweep you off your feet and carry you into terrain traps below, so be conscientious of the terrain you're choosing before diving into something steep.

    (2/27/2026)

    A longer shooting crack in wind-loaded snow indicates instability.

    Photo: Payton Schiff

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Friday will be the warmest day of the week, and recently fallen snow near the Cascade Crest will be easily influenced by the sun and warm temperatures. Your first sign that this problem is developing is when recent snow surfaces start to get sticky. The next is when small rollerballs start falling from your equipment or naturally from terrain features. If rollerballs increase in size, or you push moist snow on a small test slope and it easily slides, mark that as a sign that you can trigger a wet loose avalanche. Small sluffs can fall naturally from cliff bands and similar rocky terrain. You can avoid this problem entirely by going earlier in the day or staying on more shaded aspects. Some afternoon cloud cover may help mitigate this problem.

    (2/5/2026)

    Wet loose slides on a sun-exposed slope originating in steep, rocky terrain. 

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

Uncertainty lies in how much recent snow exists along the Cascade Crest and at upper elevations due to finicky weather station data and a lack of observations. An NWAC Forecaster traveling in the French Cabin area on Thursday reported 4 inches of new snow between 4400-5200 ft. They observed some wind effect. It is possible you could find double this amount at elevations around 6000 ft, which also happens to be where more exposed terrain lies. Just over the border in the Stevens Pass zone in White Pine Creek, another NWAC Forecaster observed recent extensive wind effect and recent large, natural wind slab avalanches. If you are in the farthest northwest reaches of the zone, you may encounter even more snow from Tuesday's storm. These conditions would align more with what's going on in the East North zone, so give that forecast a read too if you're planning an objective in this area.

We expect an increase in mid-level clouds throughout the day, but a mostly sunny morning. Clouds are notoriously tricky to forecast for, however, so don't hang your hat on that. Some low level easterly wind may also aid in lowering the likelihood of wet loose avalanches as well, but with temperatures spiking into the 40's (F), snow is guaranteed to warm and weaken to some extent at least.

This recent snow sits atop hard crusts formed by rain and warm weather last week. So far, observations indicate that these crusts are not as thick and supportable as they are in other zones. At lower elevations, they are breaking down on warm, sunny days. At middle elevations, below the crust is snow that still retains a small amount of moisture, but seems to be drying and stabilizing well. There is no data for upper elevations.

Other non-avalanche hazards abound. The zone is riddled with open creeks, random holes, exposed logs, and rocks. Lower elevations and south-west facing slopes are especially grim. Take your time as you travel around and plan for difficult mountain access.

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