Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Avalanche danger will peak in the morning after a good sized storm delivers snow and wind to the zone. Avoid steep, exposed slopes where you see signs of wind-transported snow and experience long shooting cracks or audible collapsing.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    The higher in elevation you travel, the more likely it will be to find terrain that a wind slab will have formed in. But with strong wind speeds, you could encounter wind affected snow lower down in terrain than you might expect. Deeper slabs will probably be found on north and east facing terrain at upper elevations.

    Wind slabs typically form just below ridgelines and in terrain features that are gully or chute shaped. Look for clear signs of wind transport: dune-like drifts, cornice formation, and blowing snow. As you move about the terrain and the snow underneath you begins to feel denser and look unevenly distributed, assume wind slabs probably lurk nearby.

    (3/18/2025)

    A small sledder triggered wind slab avalanche in the Salmon La Sac (East Central). SS-AMu-R1-D1-O

    Photo: Evan Pearson

Avalanche Discussion

Another spring day, another winter storm! The East South is forecasted to receive around 8 inches of new snow, which will be falling on 3-4 inches it received on Thursday. Throughout this stormy week, the wind has crisscrossed in various directions, so you might encounter older, smaller slabs on atypical slopes. These slabs should be largely unreactive, but it won't hurt to keep them in mind so you're not caught off guard when you only see snow blown onto typical slopes on Friday.

Storm slab instabilities may exist closer to the Cascade Crest. If you plan on traveling in these western parts of the zone, approach steep, unsupported terrain with some suspicion. You can use a small test slope or simple hand pits to help you gauge the reactivity of the recent storm snow. Cracking and collapsing similarly indicate instability in new snow.

A report of someone getting caught and carried in an avalanche came in for five consecutive days in the last week. All of this stands to serve as a good reminder that we must ease into terrain after stormy periods, regardless of the time of year or however powder hungry we feel. Exposed terrain will be the most likely place to trigger an avalanche, so have a simpler route plan that gives you the option to stay in lower angle, sheltered terrain if needed.

The zone lacked consistent snow coverage below 4500 ft prior to all this stormy weather. We don't have on the ground data on what the snowpack looks like now, but we don't expect there to be too much avalanche danger at lower elevations. Keep an eye out for hazards such as rocks and downed trees, which could be obscured by new snow.

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