Avalanche forecast

East Slopes Central

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 storm will bring a few inches of snow to the eastern Cascades. It won't be enough to create significant avalanche hazard. But you could see loose, dry snow run on slick crusts or encounter small pockets of unstable wind-drifted snow at upper elevations. Use caution in extreme terrain where a small slide could have high consequences. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Winds will mainly be light throughout this storm, but there could be drifting at the highest elevation ridgelines. In isolated areas, shallow pockets of wind slabs could form, and you could trigger a small avalanche. Avalanches could run farther than expected on slick crusts. Cracking in textured, stiff, wind-drifted snow indicates that you could trigger an avalanche on a steep slope. 

    Likely spots to trigger one of these could be confined alpine terrain features such as couloirs, the base of cliffs, or steep slopes below corniced ridges. We expect most avalanches to be inconsequential, but caution in extreme terrain where even a mini avalanche could pose a considerable fall risk.

    (2/23/2024)

    Cracking in wind textured snow like this is a bullseye clue that you could trigger a wind slab in steep terrain nearby.

    Photo: Matt Primomo

Avalanche Discussion

The Wenatchee mountains may pick up the most snow, with 3-4 inches and less further west and north. In sheltered terrain, you could see low-density, loose dry avalanches run fast and far on the slick crust. With the dynamic spring weather, diurnal warming can quickly affect the snow. So watch for rollerballs, snow shedding off rocks and cliffs, and wet snow surfaces as the first indication of wet avalanches. Be aware of overhead hazards from snow falling from rock slabs and cornices, or move to shadier terrain if the sunny slopes become wet and punchy. 

Folks have used the nice weather to push to higher elevations last weekend. Many reported back with observations of wind slabs and dry cold snow on high elevation north aspects and widespread wet avalanches on other aspects. They also noted less snow at lower elevations than is typical for early April, so be prepared for some interesting and challenging travel conditions. 

Backcountry skiers triggered small D1 avalanches in the Mission Peak area on Friday and Saturday. These avalanches broke 9-12 inches and occurred on east aspects at approximately 5800 ft. You can check out their observations here and here. Around the same area on Friday, an NWAC forecaster found a layer of buried surface hoar within the recent snow. This problem may not exist after the recent warm temperatures. But if you're finding dry snow on north-facing terrain, dig down and identify any weak interfaces before committing to steep slopes. 

Let us know what you see as you travel in the mountains by submitting a public observation here. 

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