Avalanche Forecast

Little change should be seen on Saturday with mostly sunny weather, warm temperatures at higher elevations, light alpine winds, with inversions and cool temperatures in the Cascade passes and at lower elevations along the Cascade east slopes.

Especially in areas where the temperatures have become so mild, the snowpack should continue to gradually consolidate and strengthen, and the avalanche danger should continue to gradually decrease Friday to Saturday.

Above treeline is where there has was enough snow for wind to transport snow and form wind slab. More recent wind slab may be found on west-facing aspects and older wind slabs may be seen on more usual northwest to southeast aspects. Older wind slab should become increasingly stubborn, while newer, fresher wind slabs may be more reactive. Watch for areas of wind-scoured slopes which transport snow onto lee features and avoid the latter. These slabs should be small due to the limited amount of snow available for transport.

Snow on steep solar slopes should have mostly slid or consolidated in sunny warm weather late in the week. But continue to watch for loose wet snow on steep solar slopes especially near sun warmed terrain features.

Lack of observations east of the crest will require greater assessment of conditions by the backcountry traveler.

Early season terrain hazards still exist, such as poorly covered rocks, vegetation and creeks, particularly at lower elevations. Many areas below treeline in the central east and southeast Cascades will have too little snow for avalanches.

Warm, wet weather before Thanksgiving caused first storm, then wet snow avalanches in the Washington Pass area.  Post-Thanksgiving about 2 feet of snow accumulated in the Washington Pass area and this amount has settled above the Thanksgiving Day crust.

A series of frontal systems produced snow over the week following Thanksgiving at all stations in the Cascades: Locations on the east side of the Cascade crest had about 5-15".

An upper ridge this week has brought sunshine and greatly warming temperatures at higher elevations. Meanwhile an inversion and offshore surface flow is causing cool temperatures in the Cascade Passes and at low elevations along the Cascade east slopes. Winds have become light at most locations on Friday but moderate east winds have been seen such as at the top of Dirty Face Peak near Lake Wenatchee on Wednesday and Thursday.

Observations

North

A party of NCMG guides was in the Washington Pass area on Thursday and noted the temperature inversion at the Pass, good bonds to the Thanksgiving crust, some small loose wet activity on solar slopes, with little avalanche concerns below treeline.

Central

Last Saturday 12/2 , backcountry professionals skiing at Ingalls Peak reported generally stable conditions with some small, unreactive wind slab.

A report via the NWAC Observations for the Teanaway-Hawkins Mtn area for Wednesday indicated a new crop of surface hoar, stabilizing wind slab and a couple small loose wet avalanches on steep solar slopes.

The Mission pro-patrol on Friday reported generally to little snow for avalanches.

South

No recent observations.