Avalanche forecast

Blues

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Small wet loose avalanches will linger today as temperatures cool off.   The upper snowpack has been losing strength over the last week and water has pooled on crusts in the upper snowpack.  While unlikely, conditions still exist for a large and destructive wet slab avalanche.   Give steep slopes at mid and lower elevations additional time to stabilize.  

This forecast is sponsored by CB Const, Inc. 

This will be our last weekend of producing avalanche forecasts.  Thanks for your support this season!  As you continue to travel in the mountains this spring, please submit relevant weather and snowpack observations and use this site as a community resource.  

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Lowering temperatures, breezy winds, and cloud cover will all help to increase stability today, but high temperatures will still remain above freezing.   Expect to see a limited amount of new wet loose activity as the upper snowpack continues to stabilize with freezing levels hovering around 4,000'.   That being said, things change quickly this time of year: a wind-sheltered slope in the direct sun this afternoon could soften to the point of being able to produce small human-triggered wet loose avalanches.  Track the depth of saturated snow, look for fresh pinwheels and rollerballs, and consider the consequences of even a small avalanche in consequential terrain.   

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–3

    On Friday in my travels in the Blues, I found water pooling at a crust about 1 foot from the surface.  I also observed propagating results in an extended column test on slushy snow just below the crust.  

    If traveling in the mountains today, dig down at various elevation bands to investigate how deep into the snowpack meltwater has saturated the underlying snow.  If water is pooling on a crust, you have the off chance potential to get caught up in a more destructive wet slab avalanche.  Predicting the timing of wet slab avalanches is tricky, but if you are seeing numerous wet loose avalanches running naturally, your best bet is to stay off and out from underneath steep slopes. 

    (4/11/2025)

    Water pooling on a crust in the Blues

    Photo: Caleb Merrill

Avalanche Discussion

A cooling trend is underway, but temperatures will remain above freezing

The Blues will see warmer temperatures than some of our other forecast zones and things may be slower to stabilize.... 

Look for clues to wet loose activity such as roller balls or pinwheels, and look for "point releases" out of rocky outcroppings or cliff bands.  Use small test slopes to test for the reactiveness of the surface snow.  Plan your travel accordingly to avoid being on or under warming steep slopes in the afternoon.   Expect any natural or human-triggered wet loose slides to run easily on a crust that sits below the surface snow.  

Consider the results of getting caught up in even a small wet loose avalanche if it were to knock you off your feet and carry you over consequential terrain such as cliffs, into dense trees, or into a gully feature.

Cornices have become weak:

There are some huge looming and saggy cornices along exposed ridgelines.  Throughout the spring, they have been losing strength in the warming temperatures.  Avoid traveling near the edge of ridgelines where cornices could break further back than you might expect.  Use rocks and trees as clues to know where terra firma is, use a spotter from further along the ridgeline, and build some buffer into your estimation.  

Most cornices are near and above the treeline on the northern half of the compass, but when approaching any ridgeline regardless of aspect, look for cornice development.  

Be prepared and get into the spring mindset:   

Springtime brings dynamic weather and a smorgasbord of snow surfaces.  Be prepared for extreme weather shifts and variable snow surfaces from bulletproof crusts in the mornings to wet sloppy snow at lower elevations in the afternoon.  If you are traveling in the alpine this time of year, it is recommended to carry an ice axe, boot crampons, and ski crampons.   Practice putting these to use before you need them.  

With limited observations this time of year, uncertainty is higher.  Please submit an observation here and chip into the community info-sharing.  It can be simple, short, and even anonymous.  Thank you! 

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