Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Cascades - East.
Watch for melting and weakening surface snow on steep sun exposed slopes where loose wet avalanches will be possible.
Caution travelling on steep slopes with a slick crust.
Detailed Forecast
Sunshine and very mild temperatures with light to moderate ridgetop winds are expected Monday. Freezing levels should near 9000 feet by later Monday. Â
Sunshine and very mild temperatures Monday should make loose-wet avalanches possible on steep southerly slopes facing the sun. Be cautious on sun exposed slopes if the wet surface snow becomes more than a few inches in areas that have more recent storm snow.Â
Some slopes exposed to recent winds or where less new snow was received after rain changed to snow, may have an exposed very slick crust. Be cautious of uncontrolled falls and avoid traveling on steep slopes with slick crust in terrain of consequence.Â
Snowpack Discussion
Weather and Snowpack
AÂ strong SSW storm Wednesday night and Thursday brought heavy rain, snow or freezing rain the east slopes of the Cascades. Where the north zone remained as snow, the central and south didn't fare as well. Â AÂ mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain fell Thursday in the central-east and southeast Cascades. This produced a strong crust in the central and southern zones, with only very light amounts of new snow overlying the crust by Friday. Â
The aftermath of this storm cycle left a very strong rain crust with whatever amount of new snow received above, following the rain changing to snow. This ranges from just a dusting to a few inches, except for areas exposed to some strong westerly winds striping new to and exposing a firm and slick crust. Â
High pressure Saturday and Sunday brought increasing sunshine and warming temperatures.
Recent Observations
North
NWAC's Jeff Ward covered a significant amount of terrain in the Washington Pass zone Sunday. The few days of snowpack settlement, warming and sunshine have allowed for the 2-3 feet of recent storm snow to stabilize significantly by Sunday.  Snowpack tests were negative Sunday and no triggered avalanches occurred.
The avalanche problems are shifting away from storm related problems to warming and sunshine related dangers. A very large cornice failed naturally Sunday and will be added in the problems list. Â
The heavy storm cycle was a great snowpack test for any Persistent Weak Layers that we have not had good confirmation about. There was no evidence of any deeper releases as a result of the recent cycle and as such we will remove the Persistent Slab from the problem list.
Central
A large avalanche off of Dirty Face Peak knocked in a garage door of a house on the north shore of L. Wenatchee around 1130 am Thursday.Â
NWAC's Tom Curtis travelled in the Icicle Creek area near Cashmere Mountain Saturday. Tom did not get far as there was only a dusting of recent snow over a slick, firm crust. The greatest danger in this area was from uncontrolled falls on the slick crust as opposed to avalanches. Observations were not made in higher elevation terrain where wind slabs may have formed.
South
No recent observations since Tuesday.Â
Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
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.
Aspects: South East, South, South West.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1