Avalanche Forecast

An amplified upper level ridge over the US and BC coast will dominate the weather once more day on Tuesday and maintain the dry and mostly clear conditions. 

Freezing levels will rise and cool east winds will diminish on Tuesday afternoon, increasing the potential for generally small loose wet avalanches. Overnight cooling and surface refreezing will limit this problem during the night and morning hours, however warmer temperatures may activate small wet loose higher into the above treeline zone versus what was observed over the long weekend.

Watch for initial rollerballs or surface wet snow deeper than a few inches and be wary of the small wet loose avalanche potential especially near terrain traps. Small loose wet avalanches are most likely on steeper solar aspects near and above treeline.  

As a result of the overall low snowpack, especially below treeline, watch for terrain hazards such as open creeks, partially covered rocks and vegetation.

Warm and wet southwest flow directed a series of fronts across the Northwest from about February 5th-10th, producing a mix of rain and wet snow along the east slopes. Since then, a benign weather pattern with mild temperatures has set in. Sites in the northeast Cascades that received the most snow during the last storm cycle, such as Washington and Harts Pass, have seen over a foot of settlement over the last week. 

NWAC pro-observer Jeff Ward has been at Hart's Pass the past couple days and reports overnight refreezing of surface snow followed by small ski triggered loose wet avalanches on solar slopes.

NWAC pro-observer Tom Curtis was on Labyrinth Mountain up the Little Wenatchee drainage on Saturday and found a no signs of instability and little snow on south slopes below 5000 feet.

While the January 15th facet/crust interface can still be identified in parts of the NE Cascades, this PWL has been stabilizing and become unlikely to trigger. As a result the Persistent Slab problem has been removed from the NE Cascade forecast.