Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago.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

Friday will be a messy day, and the type of avalanche you encounter will depend on what's falling out of the sky: rain, snow, or freezing rain. At upper elevations, you could trigger a small avalanche in wind-drifted snow or wet avalanches with rain on dry snow.  Cracking in fresh snow or rollerballs are signs to steer around steep slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Rain on dry snow, rollerballs, and sticky snow surfaces are the first signs of increasing potential for wet loose avalanches. These slides can start naturally from cliffs, trees, or rocks shedding snow, or you could trigger one on a steep slope. If you start to see signs of wet snow, choose smaller or low angle slopes to reduce your risk. Remember to look at what terrain is above you as well, as a chunk of wet snow hitting you from above can easily ruin your day. Factors limiting the potential for large wet avalanches include surface crusts on southern slopes, freezing rain crusts at lower elevations, and minimal precipitation in the forecast. With these in mind, we expect these to be small and relatively difficult to trigger. Areas of greater concern are closer to the crest, where temperatures may warm more quickly and receive more rain.

    (12/24/2025)

    Rollerballs and pinwheels are one of the first indications of wet avalanches. 

    Photo: Payton Schiff

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    If you brave the weather to climb into upper elevations, you may encounter small wind slabs near ridgelines. Look for textured surfaces, actively blowing snow, or cornice formations to identify wind loaded slopes. With minimal precipitation, we expect these will be isolated to small pockets. That said, weak snow surfaces are lingering around, and these avalanches could be quite easy to trigger. Consider the consequences of a small avalanche if you are on a slope that can push you into gullies, trees, or over cliffs. Cracks that shoot away from you are a sign to steer around deep drifts on steep slopes. 

    (1/1/2026)

    Textured drifts like this are indications of a wind loaded slope.

    Photo: Katie Warren

Avalanche Discussion

East flow brought precipitation into the zone early on Thursday. It stayed as snow until midday, when reports of freezing rain began circulating. The mixed precipitation makes for a tricky forecast, and valley-to-valley conditions might differ significantly on the east slopes of the Cascades. Rely on precipitation type and surface conditions to understand the most probable avalanche problem for where you are traveling. Freezing rain or other surface crusts will limit wet, loose avalanches, whereas rain on dry snow is likely to increase the hazard. With snow and wind, focus on dry snow problems such as storm and wind slabs. At upper elevations in the Wenatchee mountains on New Year's Day, we found a bit of fresh snow that preserved a layer of surface hoar just below it. We don't expect the forecasted precipitation amounts to lead to widespread avalanches on this layer. Still, conditions could change if we receive more snow than forecasted or if this layer is also buried in areas closer to the crest. The mid and lower snowpack was interspersed with crusts and weak snow layers. A crust-facet combo buried about 8" deep produced some stubborn stability test results. Still, it'll be a layer to watch with additional snowfall. The 12/18 and December AR crust were unremarkable.

All the recent snow has made trail access and snow coverage less challenging. Even still, it’s tough going at lower elevations. Downed trees, open creeks, and grabby bushes make getting to deeper snowpacks a challenge. Plan extra time into your day to navigate these obstacles.

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