Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

It is possible to trigger small wet loose avalanches in snow that continues to warm and weaken. The likelihood is higher near the Cascade Crest where a bit of rain is sneaking its way over from the west side, and on slopes that see periods of sunshine throughout the day. Steer around very steep slopes where a small avalanche could carry you into cliffs, trees, or tight gullies.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Areas along the Cascade Crest continue to get small amounts of rain, while areas to the east are influenced more by warm temperatures and periods of sunshine. The snowpack will continue to get wetter, and at this point, things could just be glued together. Still, the chance of triggering wet loose avalanches remains a possibility until the snowpack cools down and refreezes. Look out for sticky/mushy snow surfaces, rollerballs falling from your equipment, chunks of snow falling from cliffs or ridgelines, and fresh point releases in very steep terrain. You can find a small but very steep test slope to push on and see how easily the snow wants to get moving. If you begin sinking down past your boots into wet snow, mark that as a time to find a lower angle slope. Although unlikely to bury you, an avalanche of wet, heavy snow will be more difficult to escape from and can carry you into a terrain trap below.

    (2/5/2026)

    An example of wet loose slides on a sun-exposed slope originating in steep, rocky terrain. 

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

The East South zone continues to largely escape the atmospheric river impacting the rest of the forecast region. Areas along the Cascade Crest have been getting a drizzle. But there's plenty of new snow in the zone to be influenced by this warm weather pattern. An NWAC Forecaster traveling just over the border in the West South zone spotted a few small wet loose avalanches that had released on a sun exposed slope in the East South on Monday. There was an active wet loose cycle nearby on Stampede Pass in the Snoqualmie Pass zone as well. Weather stations in East South are reporting a drop in snow depth, indicating melt or significant settlement.

Persistent weak layers active in late February and early March are thought to be nearing the end of their lifespan. On the other hand, the last week brought an exceptional amount of new snow to the existing snowpack, and now everything is getting warm and wet. The Bumping Ridge and Green Lake weather stations nearly doubled their snowpack depths, with the former reporting 8.4" snow water equivalent (SWE) and the latter reporting 5.5" since March 8th (generally, 0.1" of SWE is equivalent to 1" of snow). Avalanches releasing on buried weak layers were reported on Sunday in the West South and East Central zones. These avalanches released in wind loaded terrain only, while all the snow was still dry. If water seeps down to buried weak layers, instability could increase rapidly. We believe this scenario is still unlikely for the East South, but it's something to keep on the brain when you head into the backcountry.

NWAC Forecasters produce more accurate avalanche forecasts when the community chips in. Please let us know what you're seeing out there.

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