Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

Windy conditions and a few more inches of snow should continue to grow small slabs on the downwind side of ridges and exposed features. Look for blowing snow and sharp cornices to help you anticipate wind-loaded pockets you want to avoid.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    While this storm hasn’t produced much new snow for the East Central zone, windy conditions easily turned these few inches into a fresh batch of slabs. On Friday, an NWAC forecaster could trigger these new wind slabs, especially in more confined terrain. 

    Look for clues like blowing snow, sharp cornices, textured surfaces, and drifts to point toward wind-loaded areas. You’re most likely to see these pillow-like slabs along exposed ridges, near the base of cliffs, and in the tops of chutes. Once you spot the wind-loaded pocket, go around it by using less wind-affected or lower angled slopes. While most of these avalanches should remain relatively small, some could grow large enough to take you for a nasty ride.

    (3/24/2023) A small wind slab pocket released in this confined terrain feature as a skier descended. Photo: Katie Warren

Avalanche Discussion

This storm struggled to push much precipitation east of the Cascade crest. The greatest snow totals seem to be in the western and southern portions of the zone (1-3 inches). Friday night a Puget Sound Convergence Zone could bring locally heavier precipitation to areas like the Salmon la Sac, White Pine, and Icicle drainages. These are the places you’re most likely to find the most new snow, but also the largest wind slabs. 

As the storm wraps up and winds die down Saturday, expect the greatest danger in the morning. The snowpack should slowly start to heal throughout the day. Plenty of sunshine between snow showers will quickly affect the new snow. You should see piles of rollerballs and maybe even a few small natural loose wet slides. These will be the most impactful in areas that have more than 4 inches of new snow on the ground. 

This storm snow sits on a variety of recent surfaces that may vary by aspect and elevation. This past week’s warm and often sunny weather formed a crust on all but more shaded mid and upper elevation areas. In some places this crust is thick and icy, in others, it is more breakable. On those more NW-NE facing slopes, softer drier snow remains. 

Deeper in the snowpack, you'll find intermittent sun crusts and a pair of rain crusts from Valentine's Day 3-5ft deep. This crust extends up to just below 7000ft with some weaker snow beneath it. Observations indicate wide variability in the structure and depth of this layer throughout the zone. A seperate crust from Martin Luther King Jr Day (Feb 12) down 4-6ft and extends to higher elevations. Very large avalanches that occurred on the 10th on Cannon Mountain, Rock Mountain, and North Chiwakum may have run on one of these crusts. For now, we don't expect more activity on these layers but there's a chance they could wake back up this spring.

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