Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Olympics.
Avalanche danger should be limited to above tree line areas in the Olympics on Wednesday.
Detailed Forecast
A weak warm front should lift south to north over the Northwest on Wednesday. Little if any rain or snow is indicated by the latest model runs during the daylight hours on Wednesday but there will be a warming trend.
Small wet loose avalanches may be possible also above treeline on slopes holding recent snow.
A slightly increasing avalanche danger should be seen at Hurricane starting Wednesday night and Thursday as the first in a series of wet and warm fronts moves to the Northwest.
Snowpack Discussion
The weekend of January 24th and 25th warm and wet weather caused high snow levels and mainly rain at Hurricane.
Mild weather with sunny days or minor rain was seen from about January 26th to today. This further depleted the meager snowpack at Hurricane and in the Olympics.
The latest observations in the Hurricane Ridge area were from January 25th by pro-observer Katy Reid. She made a trip out to Mt. Angeles to one of the few above treeline areas accessible from Hurricane Ridge. She found snowdepths averaging 40-80 cm on N slopes with a few drifts above 1 meter. Snow cover was patchy only a few hundred feet below the ridge even on N facing slopes. This snow was well bonded consisting of melt forms and crusts and did not pose an avalanche problem.
There is currently not enough snow near and below treeline to present an avalanche danger.Â
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Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
Release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. They generally move slowly, but can contain enough mass to cause significant damage to trees, cars or buildings. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Move to colder, shadier slopes once the snow surface turns slushly. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs areas and long sustained steep pitches.
Several loose wet avalanches, and lots of pinwheels and roller balls.
Loose wet avalanches occur where water is running through the snowpack, and release at or below the trigger point. Avoid terrain traps such as cliffs, gullies, or tree wells. Exit avalanche terrain when you see pinwheels, roller balls, a slushy surface, or during rain-on-snow events.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 1