East Slopes Central

The danger is low, but that doesn't mean triggering an avalanche is impossible. Use safe travel techniques and always assess slopes for signs of instability, particularly in extreme terrain with the potential for high consequences from a fall or very small avalanche. In isolated areas, shallow slabs of wind-drifted snow may form by the late afternoon, and steep sunny slopes could still see some small wet avalanche activity.

This past week hasn't produced much precipitation in the eastern part of the Cascades. However, we have seen a decent bit of wind and quite a lot of sunshine. Other than isolated reports of small wind slabs and wet loose avalanches, there also hasn't been much avalanche activity or other signs of unstable snow. Southern aspects and lower elevations have thick crusts on the surface in most locations, while true north aspects still hold soft, recycled powder that is beginning to weaken and become faceted. The recent winds also left wind-packed snow, stiff slabs, and scoured slopes in many locations. While most of these wind slabs are likely unreactive now, you could find isolated pockets at high elevations where you could trigger a lingering wind slab. Confined terrain features such as couloirs and gullies are prime suspects for harboring unstable snow, particularly in very steep terrain. As winds increase and switch to easterly Monday afternoon, watch for new shallow slabs forming on different aspects. While non of these avalanches are likely to be large, don't let your guard down in extreme terrain where getting knocked off your feet could have dire consequences. Look for actively drifting snow, heed warning signs such as shooting cracks, and assess stability on lower consequence slopes before stepping out into more complex terrain. Except for due north, most aspects below 5000ft have a stout crust from the previous sunny weather. Another sunny, mild day is in the forecast for tomorrow. Each consecutive day of sun thickens these crusts a little more, and with a good overnight refreeze, the potential for wet loose avalanches decreases a little bit each day. You still may see some small wet avalanches tomorrow, particularly at lower elevations, but they will likely be limited in size and distribution. Since these avalanches tend to start from steep rocks and cliffs warming in the sun, watch for these overhead hazards and move onto shadier terrain if you can easily get wet, heavy snow sliding downhill. Some of the days this past week have certainly felt like spring. However, beneath the surface, a mid-winter snowpack that is deep and layered exists. If you dig down, you will find older layers of melt-freeze crusts from around Christmas, MLK, and Valentine's day and a layer of surface hoar buried on January 4th. These layers are not a concern for avalanches at this time but are a reminder that we have not transitioned to a spring snowpack quite yet.