Avalanche Forecast

Perhaps an inch or two of new snow may accumulate along the east slopes near the Cascade crest Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon. Very light snow amounts and generally light winds Thursday should have little effect on the overall low avalanche danger along the east slopes of the Cascades.  

The isolated shallow wind slab that formed over the weekend above treeline on non-traditional westerly to southerly aspects may persist on specific terrain features but will not be identified as an avalanche problem Thursday as it has had several days to stabilize along with moderate temperatures.

Due to the low snowpack, especially below treeline, watch for terrain hazards such as open creeks, partially covered rocks and vegetation. Many areas below treeline do not have enough snow (new or existing) to pose an avalanche hazard. 

Since the mild and wet start to February, fair weather through mid-February has led to generally thick surface crusts, as well as further deterioration of the snow cover below treeline especially further from the crest.

A few weak weather disturbances passed through under NW flow aloft last Thursday and Friday, bringing an inch or two of new snow near and above treeline and near the Cascade crest. Winds veered to the east or northeast on Saturday, causing shallow new wind slab formation on non-traditional westerly to more southerly aspects primarily above treeline.  

Observations in the Rainy Pass area over the weekend noted shallow wind slabs of 15-25 cm (6-10 inch) forming on SE-S-SW facing slopes, with cracking but no releases observed. With mild daytime temperatures Monday and Tuesday, these isolated slabs have likely further stabilized. Wind crusts provided challenging travel conditions for wind exposed northerly aspects above tree line. Decent skiing was found on more sheltered terrain near tree line.

While the January 15th facet/crust layers can still be identified in parts of the NE Cascades, this persistent weak layer has been stabilizing and become unlikely to trigger. As a result the Persistent Slab problem has been removed from the northeast zone.