Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

You could find areas with greater avalanche danger where the wind is drifting loose snow into fresh slabs. Assess for instability before entering steep and consequential terrain and avoid steep slopes collecting wind drifted snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Northerly winds ramped up in the alpine and worked their way into mid-elevation terrain on Friday. Most windward terrain has seen multiple rounds of wind and just doesn’t have the snow available to form fresh slabs on downwind slopes. Of course, there are some exceptions out there. A few areas might have gotten an inch of new snow on Thursday afternoon. Some others may not yet have seen significant wind and still have soft snow on windward terrain. Either way, if there is loose snow available for transport and it’s windy, avoid steep features and slopes accumulating wind drifted snow.

    There's no guarantee you will find reactive slab on slopes collecting with drifted snow.  But it's more likely you will find a slab avalanche there than anywhere else. 

Avalanche Discussion

Observers in the Baker Backcountry reported moderate winds drifting snow at ridgeline on Friday, with greater amounts of transport visible high on Shuksan. A single small human-triggered slab was observed on a northeast aspect at 5100’. The time of occurrence is unknown but probably triggered in the last few days.

Warming is not forecast to have a significant impact on Saturday. That could change in the days following with sharply rising freezing levels and yet more sun. Many southerly aspects have produced wet avalanches during prior warming cycles, so they should be less reactive with more of the same. But cliffs and other rugged terrain still have more snow to shed once it gets warm again. Keep an eye on sunny slopes and snowy cliffs overhead and don’t linger on or below them if you see fresh rollerballs, small wet avalanches, glide cracks, or signs of active melting.

The snowpack continues to weaken during this prolonged period of high pressure, cool temps and mostly clear skies. Snow surfaces vary widely between slick crust, wind affected snow, heavily tracked-out slopes, and even some soft snow on sheltered, northerly terrain. The distribution of weak snow surfaces varies, but below the surface plenty of faceted snow can be found, often sandwiched between and around crust layers. This structure is not currently an issue in most places, but it will be a different story once there is a slab above.

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