Avalanche Forecast

Wind slab will most likely be found on north to southeast aspects near and above tree line. NW winds will redistribute new snowfall to lee SE slopes near and above treeline Monday. Wind and storm slab avalanches should stay within recent storm layers. Test for inverted strong over weak storm snow and give recently formed cornices a wide margin.

Beware of loose dry avalanches in steep non-wind affected terrain that could have unintended consequences such as knocking you off your feet and into a terrain trap.

There have been snow immersion fatalities in tree wells already this season at Snoqualmie and in Canada. Recent unconsolidated storm snow is still very deep in places with possible large tree wells lurking, so stick near your partner in the trees and maintain visual contact.  

We have had about a week of heavy snow and cool temperatures in the Olympics and Cascades. The Hurricane Ridge NPS Ranger reported a snowdepth of 87 inches Sunday morning with about 4 feet of new storm snow since the 21st. There has been slow settlement over the last few days, but the main message is that it is still deep out there!

In non-wind affected areas, the upper snowpack should generally be right side up with increasing hardness with depth. Unlike last year, there is a healthy snowpack below treeline on all aspects. A NPS Ranger also reported a widespread natural avalanche cycle had occurred within the last few days within the Hurricane Ridge area, with extensive storm slab activity seen on a variety of aspects near and below treeline. A few more inches of new snowfall along with moderate southerly transport winds on Sunday loaded lee slopes well below ridge-lines. NWAC observer Matt Schonwald found a skier triggered 1'-3' soft wind slab release on a north slope that easily propagated 150'. He did not find sensitive wind slabs throughout the terrain, even on similar aspects and elevations.  Matt also reported that corncies were quite large and posed their own hazard due to their size.