Avalanche forecast

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

The combination of strong winds and recent snow falling on weak snow surfaces makes for tricky, dangerous, and variable avalanche conditions. You could easily trigger large avalanches in wind drifted snow and be surprised by smaller avalanches in sheltered terrain. With this unusual snowpack setup, dial back your terrain and choose low-angle slopes. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Strong winds are forecasted to impact the zone from Friday night through Saturday. With fresh, low-density snow drifting onto weak or slick snow surfaces, wind slabs could be quite sensitive and break wider than anticipated.  Wind slabs may release naturally, so don't linger beneath steep open terrain at upper elevations. Avoid steep, wind-loaded slopes below ridgelines, cross-loaded gullies, and the base of cliffs. 

    High wind speeds could cause wind slabs to form lower in the terrain than anticipated. Look for deep drifts, textured surfaces, and visible blowing snow to identify steep, wind-loaded terrain to avoid. 

    (3/2/2024)

    An example of a widely propagating avalanche, as you may see, with strong winds over the weekend. 

    Photo: Willie Webster

  • Storm Slabs

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

    The most dangerous areas will be shaded northerly aspects. Widespread weak facets on the old snow surface could make avalanches easy to trigger and they could break widely across terrain features. 

    The usual strategies and tricks you use to manage risk might not be reliable, given the variation in snowpack structure below the new snow. Some slopes might produce no avalanches or smaller slabs. On other slopes, even those adjacent, you could trigger unusual avalanches that propagate widely, release when you are in the middle of a slope, or might even be triggered from below. Be especially wary of skiing into steep open glades in northerly terrain. Even a small avalanche could push you into trees, rocks, or over cliffs. 

    (12/26/2024)

    An example of a skier triggered avalanche on a convex feature. Delancey Ridge, SE, 5,200ft

    Photo: Forest McBrian

Avalanche Discussion

Another 4 to 5 inches of snow may fall on Friday night into Saturday morning, totaling just under 1 foot of snow over the past 48 hours. The main story on Saturday will be strong winds and drastically colder temperatures. The high snow-to-water ratios could mean higher snow totals and deeper sensitive wind slabs. 

You can keep your decision-making simple and enjoy the fresh snow in low-angle terrain. If you choose to venture into avalanche terrain, there's a huge range of variable old snow layers to consider.  Consider avoiding steep slopes in open or gladed north-facing terrain. Snow fell on slick crusts on steep southerly terrain, and east and west aspects likely harbor an unpredictable distribution of both surfaces. As we gain more information, we'll likely be able to narrow the areas where we suspect avalanches are most likely. However, gaining confidence in the distribution takes a lot of patience and many observations.

Observers in the Washington Pass area reported widespread, small, dry, loose avalanches and a couple of isolated, small wind slabs on Friday. 

For the past couple of weeks, we've been tracking surface conditions. On Thursday, an observer on Silver Star Mtn found widespread weak, faceted snow near the surface of various slopes. He also noted extensive wind texturing at upper elevations. 

If you get out in the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting an observation HERE or via the Avy App. 

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