Avalanche forecast

Northern Wallowas

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

Be wary of windslabs today on north, northeast, northwest, and east facing slopes at and above treeline. Winds last night and forecasted winds for today point to windslab formation on aforementioned leeward facing slopes. If you notice windslab formation on the snow you are recreating upon today, keep your slope angles lower than 35 degrees.

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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Overnight winds yesterday and last night were strong enough to build windslabs on leeward facing north, northeast, and east facing terrain mostly at ridgelines. Also expect windslab formation at and near treeline on leeward facing terrain and terrain features. Moderate southwest winds are forecasted for today in the Northern Wallowas and some areas of the Southern Wallowas. With plenty of loose snow available to be transported, I would expect windslabs to build throughout the day today if forecasted wind materializes. If you notice shooting cracks out in front of your skis, large domelike or pillowlike features, or hollow drumlike sounds on the snow you are traveling through, you might be traveling on snow that has become a windslab. If you observe windslab formation, seek slopes less than 35 degrees in steepness to recreate upon. FYI, one of our forecasters was in the Southwest Wallowas yesterday. She communicated to me that winds were moderate out of the south southwest. She indicated that windslabs were starting to form on leeward facing terrain.

    Example of shooting crack on wind affected snow.

Avalanche Discussion

Even though fair stability was observed in the Wallowas Wednesday and Thursday, poor snowpack structure is what we are seeing in snowpits. Yesterday in the Southwest Wallowas, a forecaster dug a pit on a northwest facing slope at about 8200' . Her Extended Column Test revealed propagation at the most recent rain crust in the upper part of the snowpack. She chose to back off that slope and ski a low angle slope instead.

 

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