Avalanche forecast

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Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

As temperatures warm up on Thursday, wet avalanches will be the most likely problem. Most avalanches will be small but could run long distances on underlying crusts. Move to lower-angle slopes as the snow becomes wet and heavy. Avoid lingering beneath overhung cornices or rocky terrain that could shed slabs of snow. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    With recent snow and temperatures increasing again on Thursday, small natural and triggered avalanches are possible on steep slopes. If you begin to notice rollerballs and wet snow that slides easily on underlying crusts, you should move to lower angle terrain. While wet loose avalanches will generally be small and predictable, they could easily knock you off your feet in consequential terrain or catch you off guard if they run from above. In areas closer to the crest with higher recent snow totals, these avalanches could be larger and more dangerous. 

    Cornice falls and glide avalanches are less likely, but if you're in the wrong place, they could be very dangerous. Avoid traveling under large, overhanging cornices,  slopes with open glide cracks, and cliffs still holding slabs of snow.

    Photo: Adam Butterfield

Avalanche Discussion

Recent storms have brought 5-7 inches of snow to the Washington Pass area, with higher snow totals in the upper elevations. Wednesday night and Thursday will feature minimal overnight cooling and increasing daytime temperatures. The recent storms also brought windy conditions, and at upper elevations in isolated, complex terrain features, you could trigger small wind slabs. Watch for deep drifts below ridgelines on lee slopes. If you observe recent avalanches or cracking in wind-affected snow, steer around steep terrain.  

WSDOT forecasters on Washington Pass reported small wet loose avalanches and rollerballs in the recent snow on Wednesday. 

If you’re venturing into terrain east of Mazama, there is a chance for deeper avalanches on older weak layers. If you dig and find a layer of weak, sugary facets or weak, moist snow in the middle of the snowpack, steer clear of steep, open slopes. Falling cornices could initiate much deeper, larger avalanches in these areas.

On April 2nd, an NWAC forecaster teamed up with WSDOT forecasters to check out the snowpack and recent avalanches near Washington Pass. They found that the upper 3 feet of the snowpack had transformed to melt forms, and the lower 1/2 to 2/3rds remained dry. They also cataloged a number of very large avalanches that ran during the late-March AR rain event. 

Observations have become scarce and infrequent, adding to forecast uncertainty. You can help contribute to the forecast by submitting an observation.

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