Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Saturday will provide a much-needed break from the rain, but it will remain warm. Avalanche potential is fairly minimal, but with so much water in the snowpack, unpredictable wet slides could occur. Limit your time spent traveling below slopes with snow clinging to rocky ledges.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet avalanches are unpredictable and can occur long after the rain has stopped. This will be especially true since freezing levels are expected to skyrocket up to 11,000+ feet this weekend, keeping the snowpack warm and weak. So keep your guard up as you travel, looking for new avalanches or snow shedding from rocky ledges. Any slide that does occur may be large and consequential, and it will undoubtedly surprise you. 

    In isolated locations, you may see avalanches gouge down to or even fail at the ground. If you see any avalanches containing dirt or exposing bare ground, it's time to get out of the hills for the day.

    (12/6/2025)

    Blocks of snow could fail in rocky areas like this.  (Boundary Basin, 6200ft, NW aspect. WL-N-D1.5/R1.)

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Going out to play in the mountains may not be in the cards for many people this weekend after such a devastating week. But for those with the means and the desire to reach the snow, expect to find a completely different landscape from what you've encountered in the past. This doesn't apply only to snow-covered slopes. Reaching elevations where consistent snow coverage exists may be a monumental and potentially dangerous undertaking. Roads and trails may be flooded or washed away. Mudslides have occurred and are predicted to increase in likelihood over the next several days. 

Once you get to a trailhead, you'll need to get well above 5000 feet to find consistent enough snow coverage to play, and even then, it may be spotty. Raging streams, exposed rocks and bushes, avalanche debris, and even landslide debris may make travel difficult.  In some locations, a firm crust may have formed on the surface. This will help with stability, but create another travel hazard by increasing the risk of slide-for-life conditions. Take your time getting in and out of the mountains, and don't expect too much out of our early-season snowpack.

That snowpack has taken a beating, and we lack enough coverage down low to issue a hazard rating. Plenty of questions remain about conditions at middle and upper elevations, since access is so difficult and we have no "on the ground" observations. If you are trying to take advantage of the weather window to get high on a volcano, expect a drastically different landscape. You could encounter deep snow and the avalanche hazards typically associated with post-storm days.

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

Regions covered