Avalanche forecast

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Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Dangerous conditions should develop quickly on a warm Thursday and will likely limit where you can travel safely.  There's a lot of recent snow for wet loose avalanches to entrain, especially near the Cascade crest.  Avoid exposure to large slopes with overhanging cornices; they will be primed to fail and can potentially trigger larger avalanches on the slopes below.  

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet loose avalanches happen all the time in the spring, so what makes Thursday different?  We just experienced a hearty, cold, winter-esque storm that dropped several feet of snow across the Cascades, particularly for areas near the Cascade crest.  Now the weather dial is turning quickly toward spring with mid-mountain temperatures pushing toward 50F along with soaring freezing levels on Thursday.  This has all the trappings for human-triggered or natural wet loose avalanches, some that could run far distances and become deadly.  We also know there are fresh cornices along ridgelines primed to come down under the spring sun.  While high clouds and brisk ridgeline winds will likely keep some slopes in check similar to Wednesday, we think the odds are heavily tilted towards more widespread and consequential avalanches on Thursday. 

    Rollerballs and pinwheels will give you an initial heads up that the surface snow is becoming less cohesive. If you see natural wet loose avalanches, especially ones gouging down to deeper snow layers,  seek out simpler terrain that eliminates your exposure to overhead hazards. 

    (4/2/2022)

    Large wet avalanche debris that likely occurred during the last week in March. Silverstar Mtn

    Photo: Public obs

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    While it's becoming less likely that you can trigger a wind slab in the recent storm snow,  you still need to give recently wind-loaded slopes plenty of respect.  A cornice fall or a wet loose avalanche could trigger a slab avalanche deeper in the recent snow.  This is not a day to mess around with big terrain due to the overlapping avalanche problems. 

    You can identify wind-loaded terrain by seeking out textured surfaces, sharp drifts, and fresh cornices to anticipate where wind slabs may linger.   

    Avoid traveling under corniced ridgelines as the sun rises and temperatures warm.  They could trigger a larger wind slab avalanche on the slopes below. 

    Cornice fracture and crack in West Fork of Cedar Creek.

    Photo from earlier this winter: Zack Winters

Avalanche Discussion

Roughly 2-3 ft of snow accumulated near the Cascade crest earlier this week with strong westerly ridgeline winds during a significant early spring storm cycle.  With SR 20 road clearing operations underway midweek and professional operations in the area spinning down for the season, your observations are needed. If you're out in the mountains, let us know what you see. 

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