Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Be suspicious of terrain that promotes drifting as you gain elevation into the wind zone on Monday. The wind has blown from various directions in the past 24 hours, so look for signs of recent wind loading as you move from slope to slope.  Pay attention to blowing snow or wind textured surfaces to help you steer around the avalanche problem. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    A few inches of new snow accompanied by strong winds will create shallow, sensitive slabs across exposed terrain. Over the last 24 hours, we have also seen a good dose of east winds, so we may find slabs on various aspects on Monday. As you move from slope to slope, use visual clues such as blowing snow or look for textured surfaces to help you identify where the wind has been at work. Slabs will often lurk on the downwind sides of ridges, below cornices, and around exposed, rocky terrain. You small test slopes or hand pits to help you gauge slab reactivity. Shooting cracks, heavy drifting, or recent avalanche activity are good reasons to head for more sheltered terrain. 

    (3/22/2025)

    An example of what shallow, reactive slabs may look like. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

While this won’t be a big storm for the East South, some locations could pick up a decent refresh due to the orientation of this system. In general, though, expect most  locations to pick up 1-3 inches of new, with some outliers closer to Mt Adams that may have a better shot of higher amounts.

Past storms haven’t been very impactful at middle and lower elevations, but there has been a meaningful difference once climb above 6-7000 ft. At these higher elevations, you may find better riding conditions thanks to more recent new snow, but you should also expect more heightened avalanche conditions as a result. 

The bulk of wet avalanche activity has come and gone. However, there is still a chance you could trigger small wet loose avalanches on steep features at lower and mid elevations during day time warming. These elevations have formed a crust, but recent observations have reported this crust breaking down by the afternoon hours.

If you get out into the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation here. 

Regions covered