Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
4 · High
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Highlights

High danger will develop through the morning, with heavy snowfall switching over to rain. Avoid travel on or below steep slopes as the snow piles up and then becomes saturated. Very large avalanches could run to valley bottom starting in the afternoon and lasting into Monday morning.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    2–3

    Rain on dry snow is never really a good thing, but it’s going to happen whether you like it or not. Locations around West North have seen base depths increase by 30” to 60”  since the last rain event about two weeks ago. Numerous weak layers also produced numerous avalanches in that same time period.

     It won’t take much for liquid water to make the upper snowpack fall apart and produce all varieties of wet avalanches and cornice fall. Wet avalanche problems will work their way higher in elevation as snow levels rise throughout the day.

    Travel advice for Sunday is simple: Avoid exposure to anything resembling avalanche terrain as dense snow accumulates and snowfall switches to rain. If planning low-elevation hikes or similar activities, realize it will be one of the rare days that avalanches can run long distances from higher-elevation terrain. Know what is above you at all times. Be especially aware of gullies that connect to big slopes at higher elevations.

    (1/29/2024)

    Wet slab avalanches can be nasty, run long distances, and generally unsurvivable.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Natural and human-triggered avalanches were reported from all parts of the Cascades today. Between 1-3' of new snow in the last week, existing weak layers, and warm-up and even greenhouse conditions in some areas, the recipe was there to see plenty of activity. A handful of people were caught and carried in smaller avalanches, but no burials or injuries were reported. Whatever snowpack issues are out there, they probably won't stick around for long with 3-6" of precipitation in the forecast into Monday morning.

Regions covered