Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Recent snow fell on a mixed bag of weak snow layers, and you could easily trigger avalanches on steep slopes. Wind-drifted terrain at upper elevations will be the most dangerous, where avalanches will be much larger and may break widely across terrain. A conservative mindset and seeking out low-angle, sheltered terrain is the best way to manage the current danger. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    On Monday, fresh snow and ridgeline winds woke up thelayers of buried surface hoar and facets we've been tracking in the upper snowpack. Mission Ridge Ski Patrol reported widely propagating avalanches on steep wind-loaded slopes that failed on a layer of buried surface hoar. 

    So far, most of the activity has been localized to wind loaded areas. These slopes will remain dangerous. However, as more snow falls and temperatures warm, all steep open terrain becomes suspect. Long shooting cracks, whumping collapses, or natural avalanches are key indicators of dangerous avalanche conditions. Small, steep test slopes or convex features can help gauge the reactivity of the upper snowpack. But given snowpack variability, be cautious about extrapolating your results too broadly.  Instead, dial it back by seeking out low-angle terrain protected from the wind while we attempt to reduce uncertainty around these tricky, persistent weak layers.

    (2/23/2026)

    A widely propagating and deep wind slab avalanche triggered by Mission Ridge Ski Patrol during control work. This slide is 3-3.5ft deep and failed on buried surface hoar. 

    Photo: Drew Carleton

Avalanche Discussion

The weather will be mild on Tuesday, with cloudy skies, light winds, and a chance of scattered showers. Despite insignificant weather inputs, these persistent weak layers in the snowpack will prevent avalanche conditions from improving much. In addition, the potential for warming in the southern end of the East Central zone may bring small wet loose avalanches into the equation. 

Below all the recent snow is a series of weak layers, including the 2/13 buried surface hoar and facets over the 2/7 crust. In some locations, these layers may be easy to identify, or there could just be a crust and no weak snow. On Sunday, an avalanche professional traveling in the Salmon la Sac area reported audible whumpfs below 5100ft. In the Weanatchee Mountains, Mission Ridge Ski Patrol has triggered several small and large wind slabs on buried surface hoar over the past three days. This problem is likely to stick around for a while, so settle in to enjoy the fresh snow on lower-angle slopes. 

It would be great to think the recent snow magically fixed our travel woes, but it didn’t. The snowpack is still painfully thin, particularly in the trees, at lower elevations, and on southerly slopes. Creeks, holes, and logs make routes meander or even impassable. Give yourself time to deal with our persistent ‘early season’ conditions.

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