Avalanche Forecast

While the 6" of new snow that was recorded at Hurricane Ridge through Saturday afternoon likely bonded nicely to the slowly refreezing crust, winds will be strong enough to transport new and recent snow above treeline Friday night and Saturday morning. Depending on how the weather forecast plays out, you'll likely see a transition from wet snow avalanche concerns to wind slabs as you enter the near treeline band on Saturday.

Be cautious around steep slopes with freshly wind-drifted snow. Check the bond of the new snow to the crust underneath before committing to slopes steeper than 35 degrees. If you suspect wind slabs, you can travel safely by sticking to ridgelines, scoured windward slopes or by choosing lower angled terrain.

Release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Wind Slabs form in specific areas, and are confined to lee and cross-loaded terrain features. They can be avoided by sticking to sheltered or wind-scoured areas..

Wind Slab avalanche. Winds blew from left to right. The area above the ridge has been scoured, and the snow drifted into a wind slab on the slope below.

Wind slabs can take up to a week to stabilize. They are confined to lee and cross-loaded terrain features and can be avoided by sticking to sheltered or wind scoured areas.

If you find wet unconsolidated surface snow, avoid slopes steeper than 35 degrees, especially near cliffs, creeks and other terrain traps. Remember that loose wet avalanches are often surprisingly powerful and being caught in even a small one can be dangerous.

The sun may break out for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. Watch for changing surface conditions on steep sunny slopes and if you see natural rollerballs, pinwheels, or natural loose wet avalanches it's time to avoid similar slopes nearby. Loose wet avalanches can become dangerous on larger slopes where they can entrain more wet snow. 

With continued low elevation rain and/or above freezing temperatures in the forecast, keep roof avalanches in mind as you head to and from the mountains.

Release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. They generally move slowly, but can contain enough mass to cause significant damage to trees, cars or buildings. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Move to colder, shadier slopes once the snow surface turns slushly. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs areas and long sustained steep pitches.

Several loose wet avalanches, and lots of pinwheels and roller balls.

Loose wet avalanches occur where water is running through the snowpack, and release at or below the trigger point. Avoid terrain traps such as cliffs, gullies, or tree wells. Exit avalanche terrain when you see pinwheels, roller balls, a slushy surface, or during rain-on-snow events.