Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

A few inches of new snow likely won't be enough to form consequential avalanches on Thursday. But be leery of sun-exposed slopes where the snow is deeper than your ankle or wind-drifted pockets on the highest peaks. Hazards such as open creeks or frozen, irregular surfaces may make travel difficult.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Thursday is going to be a bit of an if-then game for the avalanche forecast. What you're looking for is a combination of recent snowfall that's deeper than your ankle, plus prolonged sunshine. If you find both, you could end up with small wet avalanches on steep, sun-exposed slopes. 

    On the volcanoes and at upper elevations, there's a higher chance of reaching the snow depth threshold. Elsewhere, you'll likely see wet loose activity such as rollerballing, pinwheeling, or very small fan-shaped slides in the recent storm snow if you get the sun. Most of these won't be considered large enough to be called consequential avalanches. 

    Whether an actual avalanche or just some smaller version of a wet slide, don't get tripped up near terrain traps or in consequential terrain.

    (3/16/2026)

    You may see wet avalanche activity, such as pinwheels and rollerballs, but not many consequential avalanches on Thursday.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

A few inches of snow accumulated throughout the zone on Wednesday, capping a nearly foot-thick melt-freeze crust. The weather forecast calls for clearing skies, decreasing winds, and rising temperatures on Thursday, which should result in a mostly sunny afternoon. As mentioned above, the threat of avalanches largely stems from the recent storm snow destabilizing on sun-exposed slopes. It's certainly not a slam dunk that consequential slides will occur, considering storm totals are relatively minimal.

Another potential avalanche problem to consider is that high on the volcanoes, you may find unstable pockets of wind-drifted snow. Again, don't get tripped up by one of these in consequential or extreme terrain. 

With avalanche hazard generally low, travel conditions are taking center stage. Open creeks and holes, frozen avalanche debris, down trees, slick crusts, and bare ground are commonplace right now, particularly at lower elevations or on southerly aspects. Give yourself extra time to manage these hazards.

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