Avalanche Forecast

A weak frontal system approaching from west on Monday should produce light rain and snow in the Olympics. Very shallow new wind slab could develop on lee N-E aspects near and above treeline by the end of the day, but no appreciable change is expected in the generally low avalanche danger.   

Above treeline some isolated pockets of wind slab may persist below ridges mainly on shaded high elevation northerly facing terrain.

Very little recent snow and an overall very shallow snowpack are limiting the avalanche potential on most terrain, at least in the Hurricane Ridge area of the Olympics. Recent weather has been a mix of dry warm and sunny weather with periodic weak frontal passages depositing light amounts of new snow and/or rain. 

In the Hurricane Ridge area the only slopes with sufficient snow cover to create an avalanche potential are on steep shaded northerly facing slopes near or above treeline. In those areas, the snowpack mostly consists of firm surface or near surface crusts with possible shallow recent wind deposits.  Slopes exposed to either wind or sun have little to no snow to just above treeline.

There has been no recent avalanche activity reported in the Olympics.