Avalanche forecast

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

Windy conditions continue to redistribute snow and test weak layers in the snowpack, particularly at upper elevations. Some avalanches could break widely across the terrain. Stick to lower angle, wind stripped, and sheltered slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Well documented weak layers exist in the upper snowpack on all aspects. However, most of the avalanche activity seems to be isolated to wind loaded areas. With significant winds in the forecast for Thursday, we expect that trend to continue. 

    Sure, you may trigger a small fresh wind loaded pocket, but the real issue is slabs failing on deeper, older, weak layers. Don’t try to treat these like normal wind slabs. They could break widely, trigger after several people have traveled the slope, or fail above you. Give wind loaded terrain a wide berth. 

    While we expect the bulk of the persistent slab issue to be confined to wind affected slopes, other zones have certainly proven these layers can rear their head at surprising times and in surprising ways. Simple, planar, and lower consequence terrain can stack the odds in your favor in case this problem expands. If you see any common red flag signs of unstable snow, dial it back and steer clear of all steep open slopes.

    (2/28/2026)

    A widely propagating natural avalanche below Cutthroat Peak. This avalanche is suspected to have failed on weak snow over the 2/7 crust. 7000ft, S-SW aspectN-R4-D2.5-O 

    Photo: NCH

Avalanche Discussion

Temperatures are cooling across the East North zone, but drizzle reached high into the mountains. Weather stations show snow likely only accumulated above about 6000ft on Wednesday. Even as snow returns to the lower elevations, we aren’t expecting much precipitation with this series of “storms.” Though snow totals aren’t impressive, the constant winds are worth noting. At this point, the only dry snow left to blow around might only exist at higher elevations or in the eastern portions of the zone.

It’s been an active week in the East North. Avalanches have been reported nearly every day. Some of the widest avalanches were noted on southerly aspects. This is counter to our normal narrative, where the shaded slopes often harbor weak layers. The culprit? Weak sugary facets are often found about 1-1.5 feet below the surface and just above the 2/7 crusts. This layer has been noted throughout the terrain on all aspects and elevations. As the wet snow from the recent warmup freezes, that could change how these layers act (or don’t), but it's too early to say. 

Additionally, as the wet snow freezes, it will form yet another crust. This slow transition should help the new snow bond well to the old surface. We expect this crust to vary in thickness and strength substantially across the zone.

Regions covered