Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Be wary that wet snow can be unstable at all elevations, although lower elevations generally lack consistent snow coverage for hazard to be elevated. Steer around very steep, open terrain where even a small avalanche could carry you into exposed hazards below, especially once the sun comes out.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Afternoon sunshine will largely drive the increasing likelihood of this problem throughout the day on sunny slopes, but with so much lingering moisture in the snowpack, we can't completely rule out shaded slopes on Wednesday either. The travel advice on any slope where you are sinking down into wet, mushy snow is the same: steer around very steep terrain where avalanches could grow bigger or carry you into hazards such as rocks, trees, or creeks. Also take into consideration that upper elevations have some dry snow that will be easily influenced by sunshine. Fresh rollerballs and pinwheels are your first indication that slopes are destabilizing. Hazard is lower on slopes that lack sufficient snow coverage or have very rough surfaces.

Avalanche Discussion

Temperatures will not dip well below freezing at any elevation Tuesday night. Then, Wednesday will be the warmest and sunniest day of the week so far, with low and high clouds expected to largely clear out of the zone by the afternoon. Some patchy low clouds near Snoqualmie and Steven's Pass and filtered high clouds north and west in the zone may linger.

The western side of the zone got approximately 8-10 inches of dry snow at higher elevations in the last few days, which quickly settled. If any of this snow is still dry going into Wednesday, it quickly destabilize when exposed to sunlight. There is more uncertainty with the rest of the snowpack that we know is already moist and not expected have refrozen overnight. An NWAC Forecaster traveling in the Teanaway last Saturday found moist snow at middle elevations that readily slid on the 01/28 interface below.  A public observer traveling in the same area on Monday also reported triggering small wet loose avalanches. Will it still be just as reactive on Wednesday, or is everything just glued together at this point? Incorporate this uncertainty into your terrain choices on Wednesday and have some suspicion of any slope that holds moistening or wetted snow.

There's dry ground across many low-elevation or south-facing slopes, reminiscent of early-season conditions. The Wenatchees lack consistent snow coverage for on-snow recreation altogether, despite getting a couple inches of new snow on Monday. Plan ahead for challenging travel and keep an eye out for exposed obstacles and open creeks.

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