East Slopes Central

While there isn't much avalanche hazard, there may be isolated pockets with slabs of wind-drifted snow at upper elevations. There is a chance of sunbreaks as well, so watch for small, wet loose avalanches on sunny slopes. Travel cautiously in very steep terrain where even small slides can carry high consequences.

On Thursday, I was out in the Wenatchee Mountains and found a few inches of new snow over a supportable crust. Moderate winds were drifting the snow around, but this didn't result in any notable wind slab formation at mid-elevations. However, you could find some isolated pockets of shallow wind slabs at the upper elevations. Likely spots to trigger one of these could be confined alpine terrain features such as couloirs, the base of cliffs, or steep slopes below corniced ridges. We expect most avalanches to be inconsequential but use caution in extreme terrain where even a mini avalanche could pose a considerable fall risk.

With the dynamic spring weather, diurnal warming can quickly affect the snow. So watch for rollerballs, snow shedding off rocks and cliffs, and wet snow surfaces as the first indication of wet avalanches. Be aware of overhead hazards from snow falling from rock slabs and cornices, or move to shadier terrain if the sunny slopes become wet and punchy. 

Folks have used the nice weather to push to higher elevations last weekend. Many reported back with observations of wind slabs and dry cold snow on high elevation north aspects and widespread wet avalanches on other aspects. They also noted less snow at lower elevations than is typical for early April, so be prepared for some interesting and challenging travel conditions. I experienced slippery, icy trail conditions below 5000ft on Thursday in the Wenatchee Mountains. It might be worth packing traction devices for summer trail approaches to reach a more consistent snowpack at higher elevations. 

Let us know what you see as you travel in the mountains by submitting a public observation here.