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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2015–Apr 5th, 2015

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Olympics.

Generally good stability is expected Sunday, but evaluate lee slopes mainly above treeline for local wind slab and be aware of small loose avalanches that could be problematic near terrain traps.  

Detailed Forecast

Another day of weak flow aloft and cool snow levels with mainly afternoon/evening shower activity is expected Sunday.  New snow amounts are expected to be light Saturday night and Sunday.     

For those slopes above treeline with enough snow to present an avalanche hazard...

There haven't been many reports of wind slab, but isolated pockets of wind slab may linger on traditional lee westerly aspects from recent storms above treeline.  

It's April, so be aware of increased solar input reaching more aspects and affecting the snow surface more quickly than winter-time. Loose wet avalanches involving shallow amounts of recent storm snow will be possible Sunday. 

Due to the continued cool weather, cornices won't be listed as an avalanche problem either but use caution on slopes below cornices and on ridges where it can be hard to know if a cornice is present.

Snowpack Discussion

The storm snow received mid to late March at Hurricane Ridge mostly melted near and below treeline during warm and occasionally rainy weather. 

A few cool frontal systems caused very light accumulations at Hurricane Ridge on Tuesday and again on Friday. Showers may have added a few more inches of snow for the west slopes of the Olympics Saturday, but not near Hurricane Ridge. Unfortunately, we are still a long way off from building a meaningful snowpack in the Olympic mountains as we head further into spring.   

No recent snowpack observations have been received from the Olympics and most areas near and below treeline in the Olympics do not have enough snow to cause an avalanche danger.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.