Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

It remains possible to trigger a small avalanche of loose, wet snow. As the snowpack continues to get warmer and wetter, there is an increasing likelihood of triggering a large slab of wet snow, although it is currently still unlikely. Steer around very steep slopes where a small avalanche could carry you into cliffs, trees, or tight gullies. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Areas along the Cascade Crest continue to get small amounts of rain, while areas to the east are influenced more just by warm temperatures. The snowpack will continue to get wetter, and at this point, things could just be glued together, but without any observations from the zone, we can't say for certain. Anticipate some possibility of wet loose avalanches when you head out on Thursday. Look out for sticky/mushy snow surfaces, rollerballs falling from your equipment, chunks of snow falling from cliffs or ridgelines, and fresh point releases in very steep terrain. You can find a small but very steep test slope to push on and see how easily the snow wants to get moving. If you begin sinking down past your boots into wet snow, mark that as a time to find a lower angle slope. Be mindful of your terrain choices, as a small avalanche could carry you into terrain traps below.

    As water works its way down, it could finally reach buried weak layers many feet below. Thus becomes a real chance of triggering a large and deadly wet slab avalanche. This kind of avalanche is nearly impossible to predict, even with the best information. You can dig into the snowpack and assess whether buried weak layers are getting wet. If so, back off of avalanche terrain. An avalanche of wet, heavy snow will be very difficult to escape.

    (3/17/2026)

    A natural wet loose avalanche in closed terrain at Crystal Mountain on 3/17.

    Photo: Crystal Mountain Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

The East South zone continues to largely escape the atmospheric river impacting the rest of the forecast region. Areas along the Cascade Crest have been getting a drizzle. But there's plenty of new snow in the zone to be influenced by this warm weather pattern. An NWAC Forecaster traveling just over the border in the West South zone spotted a few small wet loose avalanches that had released on a sun exposed slope in the East South on Monday. There was an active wet loose cycle nearby on Stampede Pass in the Snoqualmie Pass zone as well. Weather stations in East South are reporting a drop in snow depth, indicating melt or significant settlement. 

An exceptional amount of new snow fell last week onto persistent weak layers that were active in late February and early March. The Bumping Ridge and Green Lake weather stations nearly doubled their snowpack depths, with the former reporting 8.4" snow water equivalent (SWE) and the latter reporting 5.5"  from 03/08-14 (generally, 0.1" of SWE is equivalent to 1" of snow). Avalanches releasing on buried weak layers were reported on Sunday in the West South and East Central zones while the snow was still dry. Now, everything is getting warm and wet. If water seeps down to these buried weak layers, instability could increase rapidly. Just over the border at Crystal in the West South zone, observers documented a recent wet slab avalanche. It's hard to say whether this scenario is unfolding in the East South zone without any information, so have it on the brain when you head out.

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