Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Warm temps and incoming rain will maintain the risk of falling cornices, cliffs shedding snow, and wet loose avalanches. Don't linger below corniced ridgelines, glide cracks, and snowy cliffs. Back off steep slopes where you see fresh rollerballs or small avalanches. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Sunday’s rain could trigger wet loose avalanches on the last patches of dry snow hiding out on shaded slopes. Warming and water will also nudge other slopes toward instability as rainfall increases. Watch for rollerballs, pinwheels, or fresh wet avalanches. Avoid steep terrain where you see signs of instability or if the snow is wet and unsupportable.

     

     

    (4/12/2023)

    Wet loose avalanches can be human triggered as well as natural.

    Photo: NWAC Public Obs

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–2.5

    There’s less sun in the forecast for Sunday, but more above-freezing temperatures and afternoon rain will continue to undermine snow strength. Cornices, glide slabs, and other hanging features will keep weakening until it starts to cool off.  Avoid travel directly beneath corniced ridgelines, snowy cliff faces, and glide cracks. These features can fail without warning—and rain could speed that up.

    (4/4/2025) 

    Corncices are melting, sagging and getting closer to the point where they peel off ridgelines.

     Photo: Robert Shughart

Avalanche Discussion

Small wind slabs may linger - and new ones could form -  at the highest elevations, but stormy weather will keep most folks out of that terrain by the afternoon. If you do head up high, use test slopes and wind-drifted features to check for lingering slab reactivity.

Observers around West North reported minimal wet avalanche activity through Saturday afternoon. Observations tend to arrive late in the spring, so there is a chance there was an increase activity, but we won't hear about until the evening. While large crowns and debris piles are still out there, most are leftovers from the atmospheric river and the stretch of warm weather in late March. One fresh slab avalanche was reported from near Church Mt above Hwy 542 (photo). Overall, the upper snowpack seems to have gone through enough prior warming and settlement to hold up under this latest round of sun and mild temperatures.

As a storm approaches, wind speeds and cloud cover will increase through Sunday. Precipitation should switch from rain to snow by Monday morning as snow levels lower. Upper elevations could see 12" or more of new snow, with greater amounts in wind-loaded areas.

 

 

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