Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

A weak storm will bring light rain below treeline and a dusting of snow to upper elevations. There's a slight chance of small wind slab avalanches above treeline, though any moving snow should be inconsequential. Watch for signs of instability like active blowing snow. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Sunday's storm will bring more wind than snow, though there could be brief periods of moderate snowfall, especially over the Wenatchee Mountains. Watch for shallow drifts of snow on leeward sides of ridges and terrain features. While you may be able to trigger avalanches in the small pockets of snow, they will likely be inconsequential. If you find more than 3-4 inches of new snow, you may be dealing with heightened avalanche conditions and should steer around any drifts.

    (4/8/2023)

    A slab avalanche triggered by a cornice fall in wind-loaded terrain.

    Photo: Mission Ridge Ski Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

On Friday, Matt Primomo found a shallow and mostly transitioned wet or frozen snowpack on low-elevation east aspects of Wedge Mountain. South aspects were melting out. He found evidence of the wet avalanche cycle from the 9th. See photos below.

You may still find isolated pockets with lingering wind slabs in alpine terrain. Steep ridgelines, the base of cliffs, and confined alpine features above 6500ft are the most suspect slopes to trigger one of these avalanches. If you see large pillow-like drifts, shooting cracks, or the snow feels hollow beneath you, simply travel on lower-angle slopes or steer around these wind-loaded features. Last weekend, some wind slabs in the Mission Ridge area stepped down onto a weak layer of surface hoar formed at the end of March. While unlikely, some older wind slabs may still run on this weak snow layer. The surface hoar layer is isolated in distribution, but there is potential for a large surprising avalanche on northerly aspects. 

After last weekend's rain, cool overnight temperatures created a thick crust on most surfaces at mid and lower elevations. The recent rain and warm temperatures changed the landscape a bit, and you can expect challenging travel and lots of bare ground at lower-elevation trailheads. 

This is the last avalanche forecast for the 22/23 season. NWAC will continue issuing mountain weather forecasts each afternoon at 2:30 pm through April. We’d like to thank each of you for reading and using these forecasts to make informed safe decisions and for contributing to your community by submitting observations. Please continue to help support your backcountry friends by letting others know what you find in the mountains. Have a wonderful spring and summer!

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