Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The most likely location for you to trigger an avalanche on Tuesday should be on wind-loaded features as you ascend in elevation. Shooting cracks or firm and hollow-feeling snow near convex rollovers or on the sides of gullies could indicate you found a potential problem. Some uncertainty surrounding buried weak snow should have you doing your homework on the snowpack before stepping into larger terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Wind Slabs that formed in recent days at upper elevations may need a little more time to heal. You can look for these slabs on specific terrain features such as convex rollovers, the base of cliffs and rocks, the sides of confined gullies, or the leeward side of ridgelines. Since winds were shifting throughout the stormy period, you could even find wind-loaded pockets on multiple aspects in the same area. Look for visual clues such as newly formed cornices or smooth pillow-like piles of snow to help you identify wind-loaded features to avoid. If you find that you are traveling on firm snow that feels hollow or see shooting cracks, you’re likely in wind-loaded terrain and should retreat to lower-angled slopes.

    (12/4/2022)

    Example: This Wind Slab from the West North zone formed at the base of rocks and failed shortly after a storm. Look for similar trigger points as you travel on Tuesday.

    Photo: NWAC Public Obs

Avalanche Discussion

It should be a beautiful day to be in the mountains on Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean that everything is fine and dandy. You could still encounter some lingering storm instabilities if you venture into high elevation or extreme terrain. If you are in the northern end of the zone, expect to find higher storm totals than in areas closer to Stevens or Snoqualmie Pass. This could mean that slabs are larger, and potentially more reactive.

Although not confirmed in the West Central zone, many areas around the NWAC forecast region are dealing with a tricky buried weak layer (12/8). Buried surface hoar has been identified at this interface, including the neighboring West North, Snoqualmie Pass, and Stevens Pass zones. Although avalanche activity on this layer has been minimal in these zones, the poor snowpack structure is in place and is taking longer to heal than we often see in the Cascades. In other areas throughout the region, there have been multiple human-triggered and natural avalanches on this layer in the wake of last weekend’s storm. Keep this in mind and be sure to take a look for this layer’s existence before committing to terrain on Tuesday.

Regions covered