Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 9 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

It's going to be a very wet, windy day. Expect to see a whole range of wet avalanches, from lingering glides continuing to release at mid elevations, to a flurry of wet loose avalanches in the previously dry snow at higher elevations. Stick to lower-angle terrain as you make your way higher, and avoid travel beneath steep rock slabs with blocks of snow precariously perched above you at all elevations. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    This is a day to travel carefully in the backcountry. Depending on your elevation, you can expect to see different varieties of wet snow avalanches:

    Somewhere up high, there's a bunch of new, relatively dry snow, and when it gets wet Tuesday night into Wednesday, most initial activity will probably be wet loose. Natural avalanches could run from steep areas, especially around rocks and in gullies, or likewise, you could trigger an avalanche in a similar area. It wouldn't be surprising if we even see a wet slab releasing on an underlying lubricated crust at upper elevations, especially later in the day. Choose lower-angle terrain for your outing on Wednesday, and if you see natural avalanches then consider avoiding runouts of large paths. 

    A lot of rain has already come down at lower elevations, and our wet loose avalanche concerns in these locations is probably behind us. As the rain continues, it may revitalize glide avalanches that began releasing at the tail end of the last atmospheric river. These will mainly be at mid-elevations, in the usual smooth rock slab locations. Considering steering around any lingering swaths of snow perched on smooth rock slabs and the runouts beneath these areas. There's a chance some could reach down into the lower elevations- so be sure to remain aware of overhead hazards even down low. 

     

    (12/9/2025)

    Wet loose avalanches that recently occurred in the Baker backcountry.

    There may be another round of these, but higher in elevation, when the next wave of rain hits Tuesday night and Wednesday. 

    Photo: Jere Burrell - Guided Exposure

Avalanche Discussion

It's pretty simple on Wednesday: Conditions are not in our favor, as it'll be wet and windy from the lowest elevations to the highest, and there's a lot of snow up high that will be wetted for the first time. Lower elevations aren't seeing anything new, as they've already been saturated, but up high there could be a fair number of avalanches. This is a good day to stick to gentler terrain if you choose to brave this round of the atmospheric river. 

In the last week, we've received 7.5 inches of water at the Heather Meadows weather station. At that elevation, 4200ft, it was a fairly even mix of rain and snow. Overall, snow depths had a small net gain at Heather Meadows. In the alpine, this 7+ inches of water equates to several feet of new snow. Tuesday night and during the day we're expected to receive about another 3" of water, with snowlines peaking around 7500ft. 

Regions covered