East Slopes North

There's minimal avalanche danger and little change in the weather. On Tuesday, expect moderate wind and a cold morning. Be prepared with lots of warm clothes and be ready for a variety of snow surfaces.

On Tuesday, areas east of the Cascade crest will likely stay sunny. Near and west of the crest will still receive a decent amount of sun with of a chance for thin clouds increasing through the day.

Overall, there's not a lot of concern for avalanches. Cold temperatures, challenging travel on firm surfaces, and other mountain hazards may be of greater consideration. If you're venturing into very steep or extreme terrain, consider the consequences of isolated areas of unstable snow such as remnants of old wind slab or sluffing. 

In the past week, cold temperatures and stagnant weather have only decreased the avalanche danger. Some recent weather changes that haven't impacted avalanche danger include an increase in northerly winds and possibly a skiff of snow Saturday night. The last signs of unstable snow came on January 15th, with a small round of wet avalanches on steep, sunny slopes. Prior to that, multiple moderate wind events had formed wind slab instabilities including with 4" of snow on the 10th.  In wind-exposed terrain, you'll find firm and wind-affected snow surfaces.

Observers report surface hoar and weak surface snow on many slopes. They've found softer conditions in wind-sheltered and shaded terrain. In the top foot of the snowpack, there are a few interfaces buried on Jan 10th and Jan 1st. In some locations, you may be able to find weak facets or surface hoar at these interfaces, though not everywhere. The Solstice Crust is buried 3-5ft deep, depending on your location in the zone. Currently, none of these interfaces are a concern for avalanches.

If you're out in the mountains,  share what you see and submit an observation.