Avalanche forecast

Blues

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Rain on snow, high snow levels, and above-freezing temperatures will keep the avalanche danger at moderate today.  Today is a good day not to venture into areas with terrain traps, as getting caught in a wet snow avalanche could be dangerous.  If you decide to venture out, avoid traveling on, around, or under slopes >30 degrees.  

This forecast is sponsored by Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort.  

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    It's challenging to predict if another day of temperatures above freezing will affect the already soggy snowpack in the Blues.  If you do observe new roller balls, pinwheels, or are sinking to your boot tops in wet snow, these are indicators the snowpack is losing strength.  While rain on snow makes riding conditions challenging and not ideal, it can also negatively influence different layers buried below the snow surface.  Today could be an excellent day to make some egg nog, watch a Christmas movie, and hope that snowfall returns to the Blues.  

Avalanche Discussion

The snowpack does not like rapid change and most avalanches occur right around that spike in snow, rain, wind, or temperatures.   If you observe new roller balls and pinwheels or find yourself sinking to your boot tops in wet snow, Mother Nature is recommending you go home.  

While almost impossible to predict, when we undergo a lengthy period without a solid freeze, (and rain on snow) melt water can make it's way deeper into the snowpack, even to the ground.  Two unpredictable and dangerous avalanches can occur.  Glide avalanches, which generally don't occur until the spring often release at the ground level on grassy slopes, or where snow rests on polished bedrock.  Wet slab avalanches can occur when water pools on a crust, and all of the snow above the crust releases as a wet slab.  As previously mentioned, it's very difficult to forecast these two avalanche problems, which is why we message avoidance when you observe signs of the snowpack becoming saturated with water.  

Caution should be assumed in the Blues around lower elevation terrain, and slopes that receive more sun.  There are still bare slopes and plenty of tree stumps, open creeks, etc that could be a season-ender.  

If you are visiting the area or took some time away from reading the forecast, take a look at the Conditions Blog (next to Weather and above the Danger Scale triangle).  How did our snowpack get here? 

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