Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Expect plenty of new snow as storms stack up back-to-back. Stick to lower-angle slopes while the snowpack adjusts. Strong winds, blowing snow, or widespread avalanche activity are clear signals to assume HIGH danger and stay out of avalanche terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Tuesday’s storm delivered heavy snowfall and strong winds, producing slabs that were very sensitive to human triggers. Recent avalanche and snowpack observations suggest that the new snow layers require more time to adjust. The greatest hazard will be in wind-loaded terrain, but slab and loose-snow instability extends into wind-sheltered areas as well.

    Shooting cracks and recent avalanche activity are clear red flags to keep slope angles in check. On heavily wind-loaded slopes, the weak layer may be too deep to reliably assess with hand pits or other informal tests. At lower elevations, storm slabs are generally smaller and less influenced by wind, but remain reactive where snowfall rates are highest.

    As winds increase, natural avalanches will again become more likely. Active wind loading is a clear signal to step back and avoid travel on or under big, steep slopes, or any place you suspect is building fresh slab.

    (1/6/2026)

    A crown of a human-triggered slab avalanche near Austin Pass/West North.

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

It was a wild and windy day. Very strong winds shut down ski area lifts at Mt. Baker, and locations along the west side of the Cascades picked up roughly 6–16 inches of new snow. White Chuck added another 10 inches in the last 24 hours, while the Decline SNOTEL recorded 1.3 inches of snow water equivalent. Very strong ridgeline winds were also reported at Snoqualmie Pass. Small slab avalanches in wind-loaded terrain were reported from both passes. Convergence-zone-enhanced snowfall is expected to add more snow along the Highway 2 corridor overnight.

Observers in West North—the first zone to see heavy snowfall and strong winds—reported touchy, widely propagating slabs more than 12 inches deep. Most failures occurred where denser four-finger snow rested on softer, fist-hard snow above the January 3 crust. Hand pits and small slope tests repeatedly produced easy results at this interface. While the most pronounced instability was found on wind-loaded slopes, gradual warming and heavy snowfall also produced instability in sheltered areas. Poor visibility limited observations in larger terrain.

 

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