Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Expect challenging travel conditions with firm and icy surfaces, especially in the morning hours. As the snowpack thaws throughout the day, watch for wet snow on steep sunny slopes where you may be able to trigger a small avalanche by afternoon.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    It will probably take a while for the sun and warm temperatures to soften the surface of the snowpack. This will help limit any avalanche danger to just a few isolated spots. You’re most likely to find wet snow on steep sunny slopes with rocks and cliffs where the snowpack is shallower. A quick way to check for loose wet avalanches is by using your boot. When you sink into wet snow past your ankle (4”) start anticipating loose wet avalanches on nearby slopes. While these slides should remain small and localized to just a few features, don’t let them catch you by surprise and push you into a terrain trap. Even a small avalanche can hurt you if it carries you over a cliff or buries you deeply in a gully.

    (1/16/2022)

    Example: You may trigger small avalanches like these near rocks and cliffs later in the day.  Hogback Mt. White Pass. 

    Photo: Public Observation

Avalanche Discussion

A solid freeze Sunday night should help create generally safe avalanche conditions. For now, at least, another spring-like day will cause little change, and avalanches remain unlikely. Warm temperatures and sunshine look to continue for the next several days.

The snowpack has been through a lot in the past two weeks. It’s seen extended periods of above freezing temperatures, several rounds of rain, and at least two wet avalanche cycles. This created a strong and consolidated snowpack in many areas. So, while the continued warm temperatures and sunshine should catch your attention, they likely won’t result in an increase in danger. Expect icy and often variable snow in the morning. Make sure you have the equipment and skills you need to navigate these potentially dangerous travel conditions. 

While observations from the East South zone have been sparse, professionals at nearby White Pass and Crystal Mountain noted that only the top inch or two of the surface softened during the days over the weekend. Long clear mid-winter nights allowed the snow to freeze solid and in some places that surface crust is more than a foot thick. Further east in the zone, you will likely encounter a thin and variable snowpack, where, once the crust breaks down, you punch all the way through to the ground.

Regions covered