Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche danger is generally low, but is locally higher in alpine terrain where stronger winds have drifted recent new snow. Use normal caution in backcountry travel and be ready to change plans based on your own observations. Bypass steep or exposed slopes where you suspect recent wind loading.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Strong northeast winds were observed in alpine terrain in West North on Thursday. This is a great indicator that alpine areas across West Central may have also seen winds strong enough to transport snow. It's not a sure thing you will find a legitimate wind slab at upper elevations, but the setup is there to find locally higher danger on wind-loaded slopes. It's worth noting that this West Central picked up the most new snow of any forecast zone since Tuesday, with White Chuck adding 8" of snow and some snotel sites recording over an inch of precipitation.

    Wind slabs should be small and shallow but still big enough to take you for a ride if you are not paying attention. You are most likely to find these in the alpine, but don’t let down your guard at mid-elevations as well. Blowing and drifting snow can show you which aspects are loading up. If the wind isn’t blowing, look for signs of wind effect like scoured snow surfaces, freshly wind-drifted snow features like mini-cornices, and fat, smooth-looking slabs.

    (3/8/2023)

    Example of smooth wind slab on the left and scoured snow on the right.

Avalanche Discussion

There is just enough new snow that you could see or trigger small wet avalanches, especially on slopes that warm up with sunbreaks. Limit travel on or directly under steep slopes seeing direct sun or where you see signs of instability like rollerballs or small avalanches. The trend of cooler temperatures should further reduce the likelihood of cornice fall or glide avalanches. Still, there are plenty of sketchy-looking cornices and glide slabs hanging on in steep terrain. Minimize time spent below them.

While the mountains have seen periodic snow showers since the weekend, the drought of avalanche, snowpack, and weather observations continues. For comparison, from March 29th through April 1st, we received 58 public and professional observations from across the Cascades and Olympics. With the end of the holiday weekend and the onset of uninspiring weather and snow conditions, there have only been three obs for the entire NWAC forecast area since April 2nd.

Be ready for rapid changes in weather and snow stability as we head into the heart of spring. Strong storms can give way to sun and microwave-like warming in a matter of minutes - and then turn back to snow showers by the afternoon. Dry snow avalanche problems can quickly turn into wet snow avalanche problems, or you might see both at the same time on slopes with different aspects. Low elevations have less snow than average after repeated rain and warming events throughout the winter. On the other hand, some are venturing into less traveled areas by capitalizing on easy access that is more on par with late April or May.

Your avalanche, snowpack, or weather observations are extremely valuable to the avalanche community. Help create a more accurate forecast by submitting your observationsHERE. 

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