Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The cooling trend continues, but sloppy conditions and isolated areas of unstable snow remain. Don’t linger under snowy cliffs, glide cracks, or cornices that could still produce a large wet avalanche. The mountains are not particularly dangerous, but it’s not quite Low danger at all elevations.

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

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

    Glide avalanches and other types of “snow falling off things” events are on the radar for one more day in West Central. Don't rule out terrain right at or just below the low-mid elevation boundary, even though the danger is concentrated at mid-elevations where there is still soft snow and it’s still warm.

    These are not really avalanches you will trigger but ones that happen whether you are in the way or not. The likelihood of seeing one is low, but the consequences are not. Pick a line through the mountains that avoids travel below drooping cornices, glide cracks, or other sketchy-looking, snow-covered terrain features. 

    (3/2/2025)

    Snow precariously hanging to a rocky ledge with a waterfall running down the middle. This is the kind of feature that could shed snow on Monday.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

Condtions varied greatly on Sunday in the forecast zones neighboring West Central. Snow conditions made quite a turnaround in West North with multiple observers reporting a hard freeze in the morning and sunny slopes softening through the day. Some shaded slopes remained stiff, if not crusty. Snow and travel conditions were even reported as reasonable, with a mostly supportable snow surface and decent turns in baby-corn snow on southerly aspects. No new avalanches were reported as of late Sunday afternoon. Soggier conditions were reported from the passes, with wet snow, low clouds obscuring visibility, and continued wet avalanche activity at Snoqualmie Pass.

While the amount of avalanche activity varied across the different areas of the North and Central Cascades since Friday, there was no lack of wet avalanches out there. Numerous wet loose up to D2 were observed across the Cascades at all elevations. Glide avalanches were also observed in the Baker Backcountry in West North and also in near Dome Peak in the West Central forecast zone.

Regions covered