Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Look for avalanches to become easier to trigger as you move into wind-exposed middle and upper elevation terrain. Recent winds, light accumulations, and plenty of soft snow to move around are perfect ingredients to keep wind-loaded areas fresh and sensitive to the weight of a human or machine. Be mindful of steep terrain that collects wind-drifted snow and steer around slopes with obvious signs of recent wind loading. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Your chances of finding reactive wind slabs increase as you gain elevation into exposed mid- to upper-elevation terrain. Look for these to be larger and more widespread in areas closer to the Cascade Crest, such as the Tieiton, Bumping Lake, and near Chinook Pass. There's plenty of dry snow available for transport, and more light snowfall on the way to keep slabs reactive in open terrain that promotes drifting. Additional accumulations overnight could camouflage existing wind slabs, making them harder to identify.

    You’ll want to pay close attention to the terrain you’re in and its exposure to wind. Areas below ridgelines, next to or below cliffs, and along gully walls are common places you may encounter these slabs. Using small text slopes or snowpack tests can help you gauge slab reactivity from slope to slope. Shooting cracks or stiff, hollow-sounding apockets are clear signs that you found a wind slab.

     

    (12/21/2025)

    Wind lips, rime, scoured slopes, drifts... all point towards firmer pillow-like wind slabs. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

You’ll likely find anywhere from 6-18 inches over a prominent crust from the warm-up on 12/18, respectively. In typical Cascade fashion, expect these higher totals closer to White Pass, Bumping Lake, and Chinook Pass. 

On-the-ground observations remain sparse due to shallow snow cover and access challenges from recent washouts and landslides. Be prepared to assess avalanche danger for yourself as you climb into snow-covered terrain. Variations in precipitation and new snow totals, snow depth, and temperatures can result in very different conditions within a single forecast zone.

Early-season hazards such as exposed or partially covered rocks, downed trees, and open creeks remain widespread. Getting caught in even a small avalanche can have serious consequences with rugged terrain in the runout below.

The weather over the past few weeks has been extraordinary, with torrential rains, extreme winds, flooding, and landslides. Many communities are dealing with damage to homes, infrastructure, and businesses, stretching resources thin. These events have limited access to the mountains for all of us. State and local resources are working diligently to reduce the worst of these impacts. We can help by being respectful of local communities, obeying road closures, and heeding ski area uphill travel policies.

If you head out into the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting an observation here.

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