Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

It's likely that you can trigger an avalanche in the new storm snow, with about 6 inches expected Sunday night and a couple more during the day. Avalanche danger will increase as you gain elevation and where new snow layers become more wind affected. Avoid traveling on steep slopes, especially at higher elevations where danger could be higher. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    New storm slab avalanches are probably limited to the new snow layer, but at higher elevations there's a small chance avalanches could fail deeper. Track new snow depth and distribution as you gain elevation and change aspects. A crust likely exists beneath the new snow layer until 4500 or 5000ft. In these areas, avalanches are probably limited to the snow above the crust.

    At higher elevations, avalanches may fail deeper, given the 2-3' of snow we've gotten since Christmas. These layers have likely settled out, given our recent warm temperatures, but we have uncertainty due to limited observations. If you identify wind slabs, with textured or smooth, pillowlike surfaces, there is a greater likelihood that you can trigger an avalanche on a steep slope. As new snow depths grow to 6 inches or more, avoid traveling on slopes greater than 35°.

    Example photo: A shallow storm slab avalanche on a steep rollover, like one you might see on Monday. 

Avalanche Discussion

A convergence zone is expected to deposit larger snowfall amounts in the Mtn Loop Highway area and further south. Depending on how that pans out, danger may be higher or lower than forecasted.

Only minimal snow cover exists at the bottom half of the lower elevation band. Near the top of the band, we may get enough snow out of Sunday night's storm to produce avalanches that could take you for a scary ride.

In neighboring zones we've seen varying amounts of avalanche activity. In the West North Zone, the foot of snow from Friday night was reactive Saturday morning, producing shallow yet widespread avalanches. During a lull on Sunday, a human triggered avalanche was noted in a wind drifted upper elevation gully. At Stevens Pass, avalanche activity on Saturday morning was similar, yet a few deeper avalanches and weaker layers closer to the Solstice Crust are keeping us more alert in that zone.

With limited information in the West Central zone, be sure to check a nearby zone's forecast if you're getting out. If you make it into the backcountry, consider SUBMITTING AN OBSERVATION, so that we can write better avalanche forecasts for you. 

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