Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

Highlights

A little bit more snow with a slight increase in winds means you may find small pockets of wind-drifted snow reactive to a human trigger at upper elevations. They probably aren't large enough to bury you, but if you find thicker, wind affected deposits, steer around them on steep slopes if there's high-consequence terrain like cliffs or trees below you.  

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Only another inch or so of snow is forecasted for Thursday night, but wind is forecasted to be a little stronger, reaching moderate. Nearly a foot of low-density snow exists at upper elevations, as we don't believe the few inches stacking up since the weekend have been at all wind-affected. The added input of wind may redistribute snow into wind slabs that could react to a human trigger, especially at higher elevations where slopes are more exposed. 

    Search out textured snow surfaces as indicators that wind affected the snow. You may see actively blowing snow as well. Feel for thicker drifts. Any new deposits will probably be less than a foot thick. You can easily isolate columns with your hand to see if they slide easily on the underlying crust. If your weight causes long, shooting cracks, you can expect avalanches to occur on steep slopes. If you find wind slabs and identify instabilities, especially if you're near terrain traps, avoid slopes steeper than 35°. Even wind-affected snow will probably remain fairly low density, so any changes could be very subtle. 

    Example photo: This soft, shallow wind slab that I triggered in the Mountain Loop Highway last year might be like the kind of avalanche you trigger on Friday. 

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

If the sun pokes out, small wet loose avalanches may occur on steep, south-facing slopes. They could run just on the very surface, or as deep as the early February crust if all the snow sitting on top of it is light and fluffy. This is especially the case on steep start zones where trees or rocks are present. It's up in the air as to whether we'll see enough sun for this to happen or not. 

Weak, faceted snow may exist above the early February crust. The layer was found in the West North, Stevens Pass, and Snoqualmie zones. This may mean that when more snow is added on top, avalanches may be easier to trigger than expected. This may be the case on Friday. 

Lower elevations are crusty and have sparse snow cover. As you climb to mid-elevations you'll start finding a couple inches of snow coating the crust, which will increase to over 6 inches at upper elevations. You can expect to feel the crust beneath any newer snow sitting on top, so prepare for travel with potentially slippery surfaces. 

Regions covered