Avalanche forecast

Olympics

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

With a few inches of new snow on the ground, sunny skies on Saturday could cause piles of new rollerballs and even a few natural loose avalanches. While these slides should stay small, don’t let them catch you off guard and push you into a creek or over a cliff.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    The sun didn’t make a meaningful appearance on Friday like we’d hoped. Instead, up slope showers added another inch to the recent snow sitting on the surface near and above treeline. This dry snow will make easy work for the sun on Saturday. You’re likely to see rollerballs and even a few small avalanches on any steep slope receiving direct sunshine. Because this soft snow sits over a crust, some of these slides might run far downhill. Even though they should stay small, don’t let one of them push you into a creek or over a cliff. Pay attention to the slopes above you and limit the time you spend below steep terrain basking in the sun.

    (2/3/2022)

    Example: A small natural wet avalanche on a steep sunny slope. You may see similar slides Saturday. 

    Photo: Sam Luthy

Avalanche Discussion

Clouds continued to hang around Hurricane Ridge and the Olympic Mts all day Friday. Some locations even picked up another inch or so of snow. Now, 2-6 inches sits above a breakable crust near and above treeline. This surface snow is generally weak and unconsolidated. Below this thin melt-freeze crust, the snowpack tells the tale of the potent atmospheric river Feb 27-28. Hurricane Ridge received more than 4 inches of precipitation over three days. Fluctuating snowlevels during the storm caused the upper snowpack to form differently by elevation. Despite these differences, you’ll generally find firm crusts, weak wet snow, and pockets of dry rounds. While you may see individual layers fail in tests, these weaknesses likely aren’t uniform across the slope and are unlikely to cause avalanches. We expect any avalanche concerns to remain at or near the surface. 

Besides the upper snowpack, impacts from the storm aren’t hard to find. Debris piles litter the landscape from a widespread avalanche cycle. Some shaded slopes produced very large (D2.5-3) slab avalanches. The most notable of these slides occurred in North Bowl (N, 5200’, WS-N-R4-D3-O) where the crown stretches nearly the entire width of the feature. On other aspects and in rocky terrain numerous smaller slides occurred. Now that the cycle is long over, we’re left with the aftermath. You may find breakable crusts, frozen debris, bumpy rain runnels, heavy wet snow, and pockets of dry powder as you travel. Give yourself extra time to manage these variable travel conditions. 

2021-22 Forecast Schedule: Avalanchedanger ratings will be issued for the Olympics every Friday through Sunday and during mid-week holidays. During the week when the Hurricane Ridge road is closed, forecast information will be updated daily to include expected conditions and relevant travel advice under the No Rating label.

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