Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

Highlights

Dangerous avalanche conditions will persist as yet another strong atmospheric river takes aim at the Pacific Northwest. Rain on snow will maintain the threat of destructive wet avalanches. Your best bet will be to avoid avalanche terrain until these storms wrap up. 

 

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

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

    Tuesday will be the third day of above-freezing temperatures and continued rainfall, renewing the wet avalanche problem. Our snowpack is slowly adjusting to all this precipitation, but it still needs more time. Unfortunately, wet slabs are notoriously hard to forecast and manage, so the travel advice is simple. Give yourself a wide buffer from areas where avalanches can start, run, or stop until the weather cools down. 

    Wet slabs can be destructive if triggered.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

A strong atmospheric river comes crashing into the Pacific Northwest this evening. The brunt of the precipitation will be pointed at the west-north and west-central cascades, but still look for significant precipitation totals ( .5-1.00 inch of rain) across the east-south. We suspect the snowpack is starting to adjust to this load of precipitation, but it will be a slow process until we see freezing temperatures again. 

Leading up to this storm, a weak, thin snowpack existed on shady aspects at mid and upper elevations. Bareground lived almost everywhere else. As new snow piles up, be ready to dig down to see how the new snow is bonding with the old snow surface. 

Low tide conditions still exist across much of the zone. Look for shallowly buried hazards such as rock, creeks, and trees. Don't let an early season injury end your season or your sleds season. 

We have limited observations from the East South. So if you get out, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation!

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