Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest 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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Expect wet snow instabilities to increase as the day warms and the surface crust breaks down. Limit time on slopes that feel wet or unsupportable, and avoid travel beneath sagging cornices or blobs of snow that could shed without warning. Refreezing surfaces are also creating firm, challenging travel conditions.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

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

    Freezing levels are dropping, and refreezing surfaces are slowly reducing the risk of wet avalanches, but wet snow remains unpredictable. Meltwater can still move through the snowpack until colder temperatures fully stabilize it, so rogue wet avalanches or chunks of snow peeling from cliffs and cornices remain possible.

    Smaller wet slides on the sloppy surface snow may occur during the warmest part of the day on sun exposed slopes, but larger, less predictable wet slab failures should continue to influence travel plans. Watch what’s above you and track the thickness of the surface crust as you move from slope to slope. If you sink past your boot tops in wet snow, the snowpack needs more time to refreeze—until then, limit exposure to steep slopes that feel wet and unstable.

    (3/21/2026)

    A small crown seen from a distance along Suksdorf Ridge near treeline on the south side of Mt. Adams in the nearby West South. Also, note the cracks and weakening cornices from the recent warm-up. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

The wet and warm week finally gave way to a dry, sunny Saturday. Weather stations reported a mild refreeze across middle and upper elevations. Observations from neighboring zones reported a thin, supportable crust that broke down with daytime warming. Despite this crust, boot penetrations remain deep if you penetrate through this crust. 

Saturday night should offer up a clear night and better refreeze than we’ve seen. This should help a surface crust form on most aspects and elevations. Expect this crust to be thicker at upper elevations where temperatures are colder, but also expect it to break down on sun-exposed slopes. As it does, expect human-triggered wet loose instabilities to be on the rise.

Observations have been limited this past week (and for good reason), but the Crystal Mountain Pro Patrol reported triggering large wet slab avalanches up to 18 inches deep during control work on Thursday (3/19), likely failing on older weak layers. These types of observations are hard to ignore, given the current wet, sloppy snowpack, which is difficult to predict. Cooler temperatures Friday night into Saturday should help the snowpack refreeze and gradually strengthen.

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