Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

It's likely that you could trigger an avalanche at upper elevation in recent dry storm snow so it's best to avoid steep slopes. At lower elevations the snow is wet, and residual wet avalanches may still occur. Search for ongoing signs of wet snow avalanches and avoid steep slopes if notice activity continuing. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Human-triggered slab avalanches are likely at higher elevations. Avalanches may be 1-2 or more feet deep. Any steep slopes are suspect, but ones that are wind-loaded will probably be more reactive. The further up you go, the larger the slab avalanches may be. 

    Evaluate how well the new snow layers are bonding by doing hand pits and using small test slopes to identify weaknesses. Pay attention to red flags, or bullseye clues such as long, shooting cracks, whumphing, and recent avalanches as obvious indicators of instabilities in the new snow, a sign to avoid steep slopes. As the snowpack continues to adjust on Tuesday, avoid slopes greater than 35°.

    Example photo: A human triggered slab avalanche, similar to one you might be able to trigger on Tuesday.  

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet snow avalanche problems have been on the table since last Thursday 1/18. Temperatures are cooling slightly and precipitation numbers are backing off. We expect wet loose avalanche activity to slow, but not completely go away.

    During your travels, pay attention to steep slopes to see if natural activity is continuing - if you see any actively running rollerballs, or more mass picked up and wet loose slides running, stay off steep slopes and the terrain beneath them. Before heading out onto a steep slope, push a mass of snow downhill to see if it picks up more snow and/or fans out. If you are able to initiate a wet slide, keep on avoiding slopes greater than 35°. 

    Glide avalanches may occur in steep locations with smooth rock or low vegetation surfaces. Although unlikely, there's a chance wet slab avalanches may occur as well. 

    (4/4/2023)

    An old photo of small amounts of wet loose avalanche activity, mainly rollerballs, on the Highway 2 corridor, NE, 3500ft.  This sort of activity may continue on Tuesday. 

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

In the West Central zone you'll probably start your day at lower elevations. The snowpack will be moist. Snow conditions and avalanche problems will change as you gain elevation. Remain alert to changing conditions as you travel through different elevation bands. Wet snow avalanche problems will transition to dry ones. The White Chuck weather station, at 5000ft, was still reporting a net loss in snow and had a temperature of 32° by the end of the day Monday. You can expect wet snow at and above this elevation. We aren't quite sure where you'll start finding dry snow, and depending on where you are in the zone the elevation may be a little different. 

We've had a slow and steady stream of precipitation since Saturday, totaling 1.5 to 2  inches of water in the zone. Precipitation is slowing on Tuesday and we may see a slight drop in temperature. Avalanche activity may slow a little but we're forecasted to continue with near-freezing temperatures and steady precipitation every day through the week. 

While not a major concern, we've occassionally seen evidence in neighboring zones of very large avalanches. This shows that there are still weak layers, although gaining strength, above the 12/30 crust. It just takes a really, really big trigger to get one of these slabs moving. 

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