Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Expect another round of wet snow and gusty winds on Sunday. Travel will be best in protected, low-angle terrain until conditions improve. If rain is falling instead of snow, watch for wet avalanche activity on very steep slopes and below rocky terrain and cliffs.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Mid-elevation rain should transition back to wet snow with the next storm. Expect snowfall totals ranging from a few inches to as much as a foot, depending on elevation, temperature, and where you are in the zone. Snowfall—and avalanche danger—will likely peak during the morning, when snowfall rates are highest, and winds are strongest.

    Unstable snow should be limited to wind-loaded terrain features, but pockets of instability may also exist in more sheltered areas. Use small test slopes and hand pits to assess the bonding of the layers of new and wind-drifted snow. Long shooting cracks or recent avalanches are clear red flags that the snow is unstable and that triggering avalanches on steep slopes is likely.

    Shooting cracks are a sign that the snow is definitely unstable.

    Photo: Irene Henninger

  • Loose Wet

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

    Fluctuating snow levels at mid elevations may bring alternating periods of rain and snow. Wet avalanche activity could increase where fresh snow is followed by warming temperatures or rain. Wet avalanches are most likely below steep rocky headwalls and cliffs, but cold also be triggered on any slope steep enough to slide. Avoid travel on or below steep terrain where the snow is becoming wet and mushy, or where you see fresh rollerballs, pinwheels, or very small avalanches.

    (1/29/2026)

    Recent wet loose avalanche on the north side of Table Mt above Iceberg Lake/West North. Northwest aspect at 5300'.

    (WL-N-D2-S)

    Photo: Harrison Brickman - Bellingham Mountain Rescue

Avalanche Discussion

The warm and wet weather continues. Most West Central weather stations picked up 0.1–0.2 inches of precipitation on Saturday, generally falling as rain at low and mid elevations. Heavier rainfall was observed farther north. Heather Meadows near the Mount Baker Ski Area recorded a quick half inch of rain between noon and 3 p.m.

As expected, some natural avalanches were observed during this period, including small but long-running wet loose avalanches on the north side of Shuksan Arm. A cornice failure and a few wet loose avalanches, up to D2 in size, starting near ridgeline on the north side of Table Mountain above Iceberg Lake, were also reported. No new avalanches were reported from either Snoqualmie or Stevens Pass as of late Saturday afternoon. While wet snow is widespread across the Cascades, areas that experienced the initial warming and/or received moderate rainfall were also where new natural and human-triggered avalanches were observed.

 

 

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