Avalanche forecast

Northern Wallowas

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

A few inches of new snow today and winds gusting into the twenties will create small pockets of wind-drifted snow. These will be mostly at upper elevations near ridgelines, but could be surprisingly touchy to human triggering. If you see shooting cracks or feel wind-stiffened snow, move to low-angle slopes.  

Today's forecast is sponsored by Robert Brooks Painting of La Grande, OR.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Older windslabs from this week are not expected to be a concern, but SW winds in the teens to twenties today could redistribute even a few inches of new snow into fresh ones, sensitive to human triggering.  Remember that winds can create a slab 3-5 times deeper than the height of the original soft snow.  

    Watch for changes in texture, smooth or rippled surfaces, or shooting cracks.  Feel for stiffer, styrofoam-y snow, especially near ridgelines. Listen for the crunch from that stiffer snow. If you observe any of these, choose lower angled slopes.  

     

    Photo: Caleb Merrill

    Cracking like this is a sign to avoid leeward wind-loaded slopes. Also note the texture on this windslab.  

Avalanche Discussion

Happy Valentine's Day: A treat for all, snow.  And more incoming for the next week.

Current State of the Snowpack:  Yesterday, two reports from the SW Wallowas observed widespread surface hoar on the surface up to 8000'.  We don't know if this surface hoar exists in the Northern Wallowas, but if it does, expect touchy small windslabs above it. 

Today's few inches won't be enough to activate deeper weak layers, but forecasters and observers are still finding concerning structure with facets sandwiched between the melt-freeze crusts from 1/3, and now 2/8. We have not witnessed any avalanches on these layers, and snow stability tests have not yielded any propagation or sudden results, which can indicate stability. However, as the new snow settles into a more cohesive slab, and as it loads further with more snow, we should pause to see how the snowpack handles the additional load and consider avoiding avalanche terrain.  

Observations: If you are out in the mountains, please send us an observation of what you saw. All observations are noteworthy and greatly help the forecasters. If you snapped some photos, please include those as well.  

Beacon Parks: Thank you to everyone who helped establish the beacon training park at Anthony Lakes (across from the ski lift on Mud Lake) and near the warming shelter at Salt Creek Summit snopark outside of Joseph, OR. These are free tools that we should all take advantage of.  

Upcoming Events:  Snowmobile Riding Clinic for Snow Professionals Feb 26-27

If you are a snow professional who’s interested in building your snowmobile skills and technique, or are looking to advance to the next level, the Wallowa Avalanche Center is offering a 2-day clinic on February 26-27.  This clinic is open to Avalanche Forecasters, ski patrollers, ski guides, and other industry professionals.  Click here to learn more.  

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