Avalanche forecast

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche conditions are generally safe in much of the zone, with a slim possibility of avalanches above treeline or in further-flung terrain. If you travel through very steep or extreme terrain, consider the consequence of a small avalanche. Expect variable travel conditions and if you're going further afield, be prepared to make your own assessments. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    While there hasn't been much new snow lately, a shift to northerly winds loaded new slopes and formed shallow slabs. In the areas where we have good information (Hwy 20- Washington/Rainy Pass and Harts Pass) avalanches are unlikely. We have less certainty in other parts of the zone. If you plan to travel above treeline and in areas where there's less information, keep an eye out for indicators that you could trigger an avalanche. The most obvious would be cracks that shoot through the snow in wind-affected areas. You can also use small, inconsequential test slopes to see how easily the snow slides. In the unlikely event that you see signs of unstable snow, steer around steep, leeward slopes and loaded features.

Avalanche Discussion

The weather in the past couple of days has been very cold with northerly winds and little precipitation. Any wind-drifted snow should now be unreactive and unlikely for triggering avalanches. While soft snow exists in sheltered northerly terrain, variable crusts and wind-affected surfaces might be more common. Snow directly above the MLK crust is beginning to facet and weaken, and there have been propagating large column test results on this layer in both East Central and East North zones. While we don't believe this is currently an avalanche concern, we are tracking this as a layer of concern for future loading events. The snowpack near the eastern edge of the zone is more shallow, and you may find weak layers of snow more susceptible to triggering an avalanche. We've been tracking a layer of buried surface hoar from January 5th. Near Washington Pass, it's around 2.5ft below the snow surface but shallowly buried in the easternmost portion of the zone. In most locations, this layer is below the MLK crust, and triggering an avalanche on this layer is unlikely. However, stability tests do indicate the potential for propagation, so caution is warranted if you find areas where the MLK crust is thin, breakable, and decomposing. In the lower-elevation foothills, warm and wet conditions have transformed previously weak, low-elevation snow into melt forms. 

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