Avalanche forecast

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

As the storm finally clears, there may be more questions than answers about the snowpack. One thing’s for sure, there’s a lot of new snow and the potential for some big avalanches. Don’t be too eager. Use simple and smaller terrain to give the snowpack time to heal.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–3

    Heavy snowfall, fluctuating temperatures, and strong winds left us with lots of fresh snow at middle and upper elevations. It also left us with plenty of layers and very little information. This was a big change to the snowpack, and it needs time to adjust. During these times of lot so unknowns, it’s best to just keep it simple. Stick to planar, smaller, and low consequence slopes to help reduce your risk. 

    There’s a wide range of potential avalanche issues on Friday, and nearly every steep slope is suspect. You may trigger a shallow fresh soft wind slab, or slabs might break more than 4 feet deep. We honestly don’t know. Small slope tests and hand pits won’t be enough to help make decisions. It will take time to gather information and build confidence in the snowpack. 

    The only things we do know is a round of natural avalanches occurred on Tuesday near Washington and Harts Passes. Some of these slides hit the road and even crossed elevation bands. Earlier this month, observations recorded facets in the snowpack. This layer would now be buried 3-5 feet deep. What does it look like now? Good question. 

    (12/9/2025)

    Large natural avalanche out of the Liberty Bells. This slide likely occurred early on Tuesday (12/9/25).

    Photo: Will Govus

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    This was an extremely warm and wet event. Even as the precipitation stops, the wet issues won’t suddenly disappear. If the snow is wet and unconsolidated, you may trigger a wet loose slide. Fortunately, in many places, the snowpack is thin, and these slides should be small. 

    In places with a bit deeper wet snowpacks, watch the terrain above you. Blocks of snow could fall without warning. Try not to spend much time below these types of slopes.

    (12/9/2025)

    Large natural avalanche off of Cutthroat Peak. This slide likely occurred early on Tuesday (12/9/25).

    Photo: Will Govus

Avalanche Discussion

A few inches of fresh snow Thursday night could make it look pretty and wintery. That doesn’t change the main concerns. It’s been a very wet and wild week. The East North zone managed to fight off the onslaught of warm temperatures for most of the storm, allowing snowpacks to grow substantially (+30-50 inches). However, weather stations suggest rain reached above 6800 ft Wednesday night for multiple hours. Amazingly, the Harts Pass snotel (6490ft) only hit 32F. There’s a good chance a large natural avalanche cycle ensued. 

Flooding, washouts, and landslides have affected many communities. We don’t know the full extent of the access issues. Numerous mudslides and debris piles currently block access to the Silverstar gate on Hwy 20. Expect roaring creeks, open hopes, thin snowpacks, and tons of early season travel hazards. 

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