Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Heightened avalanche danger continues as the rain line rises with warming temperatures. You could trigger an avalanche anywhere rain has fallen on the snow, or where snow surfaces have turned warm and heavy. If rain is directly hitting the snow, or the surface snow begins to feel sticky and heavy, move to terrain less than 35 degrees.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Temperatures are expected to climb to around 8,000 feet on Monday, with varying amounts of rain expected across the West South zone. Fortunately, significantly less rain is forecast here compared to the northern zones. Peak avalanche activity may occur sometime Sunday night into Monday morning, coinciding with the bulk of the precipitation. At mid and upper elevations, this will be the first rain the recent dry snow has experienced, which could lead to a rapid spike in instability. Areas capped by thick wind board or surface crusts may be less immediately affected by rising temperatures and added water. If less rain falls than expected, this problem may be less pronounced.

    Soggy surface snow, fresh roller balls, and active rain-on-snow are clear indicators of a wet avalanche problem. If the snow beneath you feels heavy and sticky, or you observe rain-on-snow or newly formed roller balls, move to lower-angle terrain.

    (12/13/2025)

    A small fresh wet loose avalanche on a steep, SE aspect. This is a great indicator of existing instability.

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche Fatality: On Friday, January 9th, four backcountry skiers were caught and carried by a large avalanche while descending near Longs Pass in the Teanaway River drainage. The slide occurred on an S to SE facing slope at approximately 6200ft. One member of the party was not buried. Another teammate was partially buried but injured. The other two individuals were fully buried. During the initial rescue, the team located one of the buried victims, who did not survive. Despite the group's best efforts, they could not pinpoint the fourth member of their team. The party contacted 911 via a satellite device, and Kittitas County Search and Rescue responded to the area on Friday evening. Additional rescue efforts were postponed until daylight. Search and Rescue then returned to the site on Saturday and were joined by NWAC forecasters. The teams were able to locate the remaining victim. Unfortunately, neither of the fully buried skiers survived. Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community of those involved in this avalanche accident.  S-SE aspect, 6200ft, Avg Depth 2ft, HS-AS-R3-D2.5-O

Discussion: 

After a week of decent snowfall, rain and warming temperatures have returned to the West South. Most areas saw light rain today, with the heaviest at Paradise, which picked up 0.5" of water. Observers reported rain as high as 6,500' in the Crystal Mountain area, and wind affected surfaces in most open slopes and ridges. Minimal wet loose avalanche activity has been observed so far, but a few fresh ~3' crowns were spotted on the north aspect of Castle Peak in the Tatoosh Range late in the day on Sunday. Initial thoughts are that these are hard slabs triggered by rain-on-snow. 

Wind slabs continue to pose a low-likelihood but high-consequence risk at upper elevations and on the volcanoes. Though difficult to trigger, these hard slabs could be deadly if released. If you're traveling in particularly wind-exposed areas, continue to look for pillow-like slabs and firm surface snow on down wind slopes. Use fresh cornices and wind lips to distinguish where the snow has collected. If in doubt, avoid leeward facing complex and rocky terrain for another day.

Regions covered