Central Cascades

The avalanche danger will remain Low for Wednesday.  It is always a good idea to maintain safe travel techniques and continue to pay attention to the snow surfaces that you are encountering.  Below treeline our snowpack has continued to shrink slowly and once buried obstacles like rocks, stumps, and logs are re-emerging

At this point, most folks don't need to read the forecast discussion to know that our snow pack is shallow, but that is it's most defining feature.  Below treeline observers have been finding around 45 cm. of snow with closer to 90 cm. near treeline.  Tuesday's showery weather primarily manifested as rain showers below treeline with the snow level near treeline.  The rain was definitely melting the surface snow.  Above treeline we saw some flurries and the highest elevations may have picked up an inch or two.

I don't think that these upper elevations picked up enough new snow to warrant a wind slab avalanche problem in all but the most isolated terrain.  Even on a high northeast slope with a large fetch any instability would be shallow and only consequential in extreme terrain.

Similarly I've avoided forecasting any wet avalanche problems despite warmer, sunny weather.  This is because the lower elevations that are likely to heat up the most really don't have very much snow.  Near treeline and on alpine slopes the low sun angle has prevented the surface crust from breaking down very much.