Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Expect another round of strong wind and heavy snowfall as a big storm heads our way. Stick to simple, sheltered terrain while it plays out. Even more precipitation in the form of low and mid elevation rain is forecast for the weekend.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    West North will get the first taste of the storm on tap for the weekend. Light snowfall overnight will increase during the day, and wind speeds are forecast to get quite high by the afternoon. Many of the unstable slabs you could find will be on leeward slopes where the wind is building thicker and more reactive slabs. But between plenty of precipitation and rising snow levels, look for instability on all aspects, wind loaded or not. 

    You can use the usual tools to assess stability and try to push onto steeper slopes. Rugged weather conditions might make it difficult to travel anywhere but the most sheltered, lower-angle terrain by afternoon. Anticipate a shift from more to less stable conditions throughout the day.

    (1/11/2024)

    Long shooting cracks are signs the snowpack is getting grumpy, and it's time to stick to lower-angle terrain.

  • Loose Wet

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

    Lower elevations have already seen some rain, but there is enough dry-ish snow out there to produce small wet avalanches when rain from the sky meets snow on the ground. The rain-snow line should stay within the low elevation boundaries. If snow levels are higher than forecast expect to see some rollerballs, pinwheels, and wet avalanches at mid-elevaitons as well. Avoid travel on or directly below steep slopes if the snow becomes wet and mushy, or you start seeing signs of wet avalanche instability.

    (4/7/2023) 

    Rolling, sticky balls of snow are the first indication the uppermost layers of snow are warming and you are more likely to see wet avalanches.

Avalanche Discussion

The widespread wind slab instability found on Wednesday had started to resolve by Thursday, as reports indicated a strengthening bond at the wind slab/crust interface. One team did trigger a slab avalanche on a very steep, previously wind-loaded gully wall. The person who triggered the slide was caught and partially buried, but no injuries were reported. It's unclear if this slab failed at the wind slab/crust interface or in a slightly deeper layer. No other new avalanches were reported.

A number of large natural avalanches were observed around the Baker Backcountry that likely occurred during the peak of snowfall and strong winds. Some featured very wide propagation. It's uncertain exactly at which interface these avalanches failed. 

Heather Meadows picked up 1.6" of precipitation from the latest storm, with other weather stations around the zone picking up 50-75% of that amount. Wind and snowfall died off overnight Wednesday. Snow conditions were reported as fast and fun, with a few inches of softer snow over a slightly stiffer wind slab base.

Regions covered