Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago.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

Highlights

It may take a bit on Wednesday, but as new snow begins to fall and blow around, look for the avalanche danger to slowly rise. The wind may drift snow into slightly firmer and thicker slabs on exposed features and ridgelines. Look for blowing snow and textured surfaces to help figure out which slopes hold wind-loaded snow that you may want to avoid.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    The wind may begin to affect the snow overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. However, it won’t be until the new snow really starts to accumulate that this will pose much of a danger. As more snow becomes available to blow around, small wind slabs could form along ridges, exposed gullies, and the base of cliffs. Even though these slides should remain small, they could hurt you if they carry you over the shallow early season snow full of rocks, trees, and open creeks. Look for blowing snow and textured surfaces to help figure out which features could hold one of these shallow wind slabs.

    (12/10/2021)

    Example: Visual clues like these can help you anticipate wind slabs as you travel. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

As the storm gets rolling Wednesday, the avalanche danger should begin to rise. Since this doesn’t look like a big snow producer for the East South zone, avalanches will be most prevalent at upper elevations and in spots closer to the Cascade Crest. A look into the East South zone from the upper Tieton River Valley on Tuesday showed a generally thin snowpack. While most slopes now hold continuous snow, lots of rocks and trees were still visible. The deepest snowpacks we could view were around the Mt Aix and Bumping Ridge areas. 

Nearby locations along the Cascade Crest saw several natural loose wet avalanches and numerous rollerballs on Tuesday as a result of warm temperatures and sunshine. While none of these slides were large, they highlight the relatively warm snow surface. This should help the incoming storm snow to bond well at this interface. One large slab avalanche was reported in the White Pass backcountry. This avalanche likely occurred Monday night. 

Even as the snowpack has grown recently, there’s still a huge amount of variability; north to south and east to west. Several recent storm layers and crust can be found. However, despite this variability, we anticipate most avalanches to remain above the 12/21 crust/strom interface. If you head out into the snow this week, you can help shape the forecast by letting us know what you see.

Regions covered