Stevens Pass

Low danger doesn't mean no danger at all. There could be small, unstable pockets of wind-drifted snow if you travel in high-elevation, extreme terrain. Blocks of snow clinging to cliffs or sagging cornices are always a threat to fall in the spring, so limit your time spent traveling under these ticking time bombs.

Sunday was a relative break in our stormy March weather in terms of precipitation. However, stiff easterly winds made their presence felt in the zone as clouds increased ahead of our next weather system on Sunday evening. This won't be a big snow producer at Stevens but expect to find a few inches of new snow on Monday. Although the wind may drift new snow into some unstable piles, most shouldn't be large enough to call consequential avalanches. Nevertheless, be cautious if you plan to visit high-elevation slopes or extreme terrain. Even a small slide can be consequential when terrain traps are involved. Look for unstable wind pockets in confined gullies/chutes, on convex features, or leeward ridgelines. 

Last week's atmospheric river event was followed by unseasonably warm temperatures, resulting in a widespread wet avalanche cycle throughout the zone. Slides as large as D3 were reported, with the most recent one occurring on Friday evening at Stevens Pass Resort. As we begin to distance ourselves from this cycle and enter a cooler period, a new surface crust is slowly forming. Reports have wavered on its thickness to date, but another night of relatively cool temperatures with partially clear skies on Sunday should help it gain strength. Once this crust becomes boot-supportable, thick, and strong, we should be able to put the threat of these very large and destructive wet avalanches to bed for the time being. Does that mean that they're impossible? Definitely not. We wouldn't be surprised to hear of one occurring. However, we don't think it's very likely at this point; otherwise, we'd have it on the official problem list.

But take a look for yourself if you're out in the mountains. Take a moment to step out of your mode of transportation and see how deeply your foot sinks into the snow. If you're plunging through a weak surface crust into old, moist snow, put those very large and destructive slides back on your radar. Whether you think they're a concern or not, you should consider limiting the time you spend traveling below precariously hanging blocks of snow or sagging cornices. They're the most common, albeit unlikely, culprits to fail and create a very large avalanche.

Submit an observation to the website or the Avy App to help NWAC Forecasters reduce uncertainty. It can be short, simple, and even anonymous.