Avalanche Forecast

Sunny mild weather should be seen through Wednesday. This should not significantly change the snowpack or overall low avalanche danger and no avalanche problems are expected west of the crest. Previous loose wet avalanches, previous consolidation and low solar input should make more loose wet avalanches very unlikely. Loose wet avalanches will not be indicated as an avalanche problem but watch for soft wet snow on steep solar slopes or initial natural releases that would indicate conditions are be different than expected.

On backcountry travel safety note, watch for terrain hazards (exposed rocks, trees, streams, etc.) at lower elevations and on wind scoured aspects. On non-solar aspects with a slick and supportable crust, take extra caution when traversing steep slopes and be prepared to self-arrest if necessary.

Note that an increasing avalanche danger should begin Thursday afternoon mainly in the Olympics and north Cascades.

West of the crest about 5-15 inches of snowfall on 4 January was followed by about 3 to 7 inches of rain on 5 January with a warming trend. This led to a natural avalanche cycle west of the crest.

Dry and unseasonably warm weather followed last week. This drained, further consolidated and generally reset the upper or entire  snowpack. There were also some loose wet avalanches west of the crest. Melt-freeze crusts of varying thicknesses formed over stabilized mostly rounded grain layers. Some windward or southerly aspects have little snow cover.

Minor weather systems were seen over the weekend. Sunny weather with mild temperatures at higher elevations has returned this week which has not significantly changed the overall stable snow pack. No avalanches have been reported west of the crest for several or more days.