East Slopes North

The persistent ridge is keeping us high and dry for another day, although a slight cooling trend is just beginning. Despite the cooling trend, it will still be warm and sunny at higher elevations. While unlikely, it's worth noting overhead cornices or rocks still holding snow, and avoiding lingering beneath.

We are all waiting for this stubborn weather pattern to break down, but it seems it is stuck with us for a couple more days. Warm temperatures and sunshine at upper elevations, and cold, potentially cloudy, down low in the eastern valleys. It's been quite a while since our last reported wet avalanche, cornice fall, or notable snow shed event. That said, where they exist, the chance of them shedding is never zero. So, don't stop for a snack under any of these overhead hazards. 

The long, clear nights formed a robust surface crust despite overnight temperatures above freezing at upper elevations. Inversions have kept lower elevations east of Washington Pass much colder. Many observers are using this high pressure to venture into more far-flung places in the zone. Their observations consistently report minimal avalanche activity or signs of instability. Northern and shady slopes are staying frozen during the day, while sunny slopes are softening nicely into corn by the afternoon. 

Surface crusts on northerly aspects thin as you travel eastward in the zone. Areas close to the Cascade Crest have a thick, supportable crust with refrozen melt forms 1-1.5' deep below, while further east, the crust is more likely to be thin and breakable, with soft, weak snow below. These snowpack trends highlight the decreasing rainfall amounts during the atmospheric river as you travel further east in the zone. On more sun-exposed aspects throughout the zone, snow surfaces are undergoing repeated freeze-thaw cycles, forming a supportable crust that softens during daytime warming. 

You should expect icy travel on firm surfaces, particularly in the morning, so bring appropriate equipment to prevent long sliding falls.