Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago.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

Highlights

Avalanche danger will increase throughout the day as precipitation continues to fall and temperatures increase. Wet avalanches could run in previously dry snow, so if you see any avalanches coming down, steer around similar steep slopes and terrain beneath these slopes. If you make it to upper elevations, deeper deposits of snow could avalanche with a human trigger. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    We expect wet loose avalanche activity to mainly exist in the new snow that falls. As freezing levels rise during the day, any snow that recently fell might get moist are slide or roll downslope. 

    Most avalanches will probably stay small. They may occur with a human trigger if you're on sticky snow. The old snow layer might provide a good sliding surface, or maybe the new snow will pick up enough mass that it could take underlying moist layers with it, too. 

    If snow around you gets moist, wet, or sticky, scan nearby steep slopes to see if any new rollerballs or small slides are coming down them. Continue this process throughout the day as temperatures creep upwards towards the upper elevation band. If you notice any wet avalanche activity, consider steering around similar steep slopes or areas beneath where these avalanches could run. 

    Example photo: If you see fresh pinwheels or wet loose avalanche debris, it's time to avoid similar steep slopes. 

    Photo: Zack McGill - Cascade Mountain Ascents

  • Wind Slabs

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

    New snow depths and avalanche size will grow as the day progresses. Most avalanche activity will likely stay within the new snow. Underlying surfaces vary widely, so wind slabs may behave differently depending on where they form. You might find crusts, old wind slabs, or low-density snow beneath the new layer. You can dig down with your hand or pole to test how well the new snow sticks to the layer beneath it. 

    Search for thicker, heavier drifts—often textured or pillow-shaped— mainly at upper elevations where precipitation will fall as snow. Search out drifts deeper than 6 inches, although they may grow to well over a foot deep. If you find  slide these heavier deposits, and snow slides easily on the layer beneath, or you see red flags like shooting cracks or recent avalanches, steer around steep slopes where these drifts exist. 

Avalanche Discussion

After several days of high pressure and a strong inversion that affected some areas more than others, more unsettled weather is on the way. Expect conditions to change. As the first precipitation arrives, pay close attention to how new snow bonds to existing surfaces. Small temperature shifts could quickly change avalanche problems from dry to wet, requiring ongoing evaluation and flexibility in your terrain choices.

I was out for a field day in the Highway 2 corridor on Tuesday and I didn't find concerning instabilities up to mid-elevations in the area where I traveled. There was evidence of old rollerballs from the previous few days on south-facing aspects, and the north-facing slopes higher up were predominantly still low-density surface snow. 

Regions covered