Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Dangerous avalanche conditions will develop in wind-loaded terrain as another round of snowfall and wind stress the snowpack. Look for more dangerous avalanche conditions in areas closer to the Cascade Crest.  Steer around steep wind-drifted features and simplify your terrain selection during periods of heavy snowfall. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    New snowfall and strong winds will create thick, reactive slabs of wind drifted snow in wind-exposed terrain around the zone. Expect these slabs to be larger and more widespread as you gain elevation or if you choose to recreate closer to White or Chinook Pass. While most of these wind slabs will likely break within the new snow, some could break larger and propagate further than you may expect if they fail on weak surfaces or a crust that could harbor some faceted grains. You won’t know if this set-up exists unless you dig down to the crust and complete a snowpack test. 

    It won’t be the day to test your luck in wind loaded terrain. You’ll want to use visual clues to help you avoid unstable slabs. Look for blowing snow, wind rippled surfaces, and fresh cornice formation to help you identify problematic slopes. Pump the brakes if you notice cracks shooting out from your sled or feet. 

    Additional Discussion:

    Storm slab instabilities may materialize during periods of heavy snowfall or further west in the zone. Be mindful of steep convex rollovers or unsuppoorted features during or shortly after periods with heavy snowfall. 

    (3/14/2025)

    Corniced ridgelines and blowing snow like this can help you skirt around this avalanche problem. Lose the wind, you lose the problem. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Strong winds and snowfall are expected to ramp up during the early morning hours. The start of the day may not feel all that dangerous, but expect that to change as the day progresses or as you move into wind affected terrain.  The western parts of the zone closer to the cascade crest will hold more dangerous conditions, so consider checking out the West South avalanche forecast if you find yourself close to Chinook, White Pass, or Mt Adams. 

After a dry start to March, the snowpack is finally making a comeback around the East South mountains. Since March 12, the mountains around the East South have received 8-15 inches of new snow that fell over a widespread crust in most locations above 5500 ft. Backcountry observers have mainly reported instabilities in wind-loaded terrain, but that may start changing as snowfall stacks up Friday night and through the day Saturday. 

An NWAC Forecaster traveled into Ahtanum Meadows on Thursday. You can check out their full observation here. 

You can help us gather more data by submitting an observation HERE or via the Avy App.

Regions covered