Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

If the snow doesn’t freeze overnight, you might still trigger avalanches in wet, sticky snow over a firm crust. This will be most prevalent in the middle elevations. Unless it's capped by a crust, approach any wet snow with caution, especially in high-consequence terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    You may find a band of wet, sticky snow over a crust, particularly above 5500ft. Cloud cover and warm temperatures could keep this wet snow from freezing Wednesday night. Higher in the terrain, slightly cooler weather could cap wet snow with a crust. Down low, the snowpack has generally transitioned to springtime and isn’t much of a concern. 

    Pay attention to the surface. If you see a few inches of wet snow over a firm layer, then you found the elevation band in question. Be leery of steep slopes, especially if these generally small slides can push you off a cliff or into a creek. 

    Despite the cloud cover, isolated shed-style avalanches could still occur. Cornices, glides, wet slabs, and gouging wet loose avalanches are all possible. These slides are hard to predict and don’t always correspond to the immediate weather or time of day. It’s all about managing your overhead hazard. Don’t hang out underneath snow-covered rocky slopes or looming cornices.

    (4/10/2024)

    This small wet loose avalanche ran into a gully. This terrain trap could magnify the consequences of the slide, despite it's small size. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

The cloud cover on Wednesday night and Thursday could make a big difference in the avalanche danger. If skies are generally clear at night, the snow surface could freeze and result in generally safe avalanche conditions at all elevations. If thicker clouds prevent and freeze, it may not be particularly dangerous, but the danger won’t be Low. On Thursday, if the sun pokes through the clouds, it could get warm and steamy quickly. This "greenhousing" often results in higher avalanche danger than expected and large natural avalanches. If you start to feel it getting warm and sticky, seek out areas away from large, steep slopes. 

If you get near the top of the forecast area (or above) on the volcanoes, you may find some isolated wind-loaded pockets. These should be stubborn, but don’t ignore a firm slab, especially rocky terrain. 

Right now, we’re mainly worried about the snow above the Early April Crust. This is the first major firm layer below the surface. Its depth varies greatly by aspect, elevation, and location in the zone. While we aren’t talking about older layers, the snowpack hasn’t fully transitioned to spring. You can still see nearly every layer/interface all the way back into Feb. Snowpack tests repeatedly failed on one of these layers Wednesday near Crystal Mt. That doesn’t mean avalanches are imminent, but it does suggest the snowpack isn’t in a spring state and could still produce shed avalanches. 

At lower elevations, the snowpack is going quickly. Thin coverage, open creeks, holes, exposed logs… Give yourself time to deal with these spring time hazards. 

Regions covered