Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired last year.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

Highlights

The chance of triggering a wet snow avalanche will increase if the sun pokes through the clouds. If surfaces become sticky and you see small chunks of snow rolling downhill, consider recreating on shadier slopes that will harbor more pleasant riding conditions anyway.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Tuesday will be peppered with sun breaks, and with the angle of the sun in the sky this time of year, it won't take much for sunlight to infiltrate recently fallen snow on the ground. Luckily, the zone only has a few inches of recent snow, which will curb the size of an avalanche. If any surface crusts formed during periods of sun on Monday, then they will need to break down first before anything starts to move as well. South facing, lower elevation slopes lack snow coverage as a whole, so the likelihood of seeing an avalanche where there's dry ground is, well, none.

    Look for signs of wet snow instability throughout the day. The typical initiation of wet loose avalanches involves rollerballs and pinwheels or chunks of snow falling from cliffs and trees. Although small, an avalanche could knock you over and carry you over hazards such as rocks and cliffs.

    (3/26/2025)

    Wet avalanches occurred naturally on the afternoon of 3/26 in the Cutthroat avalanche paths on Hwy 20.

    Photo: WSDOT

Avalanche Discussion

We are moving deeper into a Spring-time snowpack. Below approximately 45-5000 ft on southerly aspects, you'll be hard pressed to find any snow to travel on at all. The hazards in these areas will be rock fall and overheating sleds. There is a meaningful difference once you 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. 

You could encounter lingering pockets of wind loaded snow in complex and exposed terrain. There was an east wind event on Sunday, so some of these pockets could be on atypical aspects. Wind slabs tend to form just below ridgelines and in gully or chute shaped terrain. Look for visual clues of wind transport, and where you find them, gauge instability before committing to something steep. 

There is a small chance that the snowpack may still harbor moisture and, consequently, instability from an atmospheric river event that deposited rain two weekends ago. Steer around steep slopes if you notice yourself sinking deeply into old, wet snow as you could trigger a larger and more consequential avalanche in these snowpack conditions.

Submit an observation to help NWAC Forecasters reduce uncertainty. It can be short, simple, and even anonymous. Visit the Recent Observations page to get an idea of what backcountry travelers share that helps entertain the forecasts in other zones.

Regions covered