Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Marginal snow totals during the previous storm should allow for generally safe avalanche conditions to persist on Friday in most areas of the zone. A possible outlier may be Paradise where there was a bit more accumulation. Regardless of your location, if the new storm snow is wet and sticky or produces rollerballs and pinwheels, put wet avalanches on your radar. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    If you find yourself in an area with more than a few inches of recent storm snow, watch how warm springlike temperatures are affecting the surface on Friday. If it is getting wet and sticky or you see early signs of wet avalanches such as rollerballs and pinwheels, then you’ll know it's time to consider avoiding steeper slopes where Wet Loose avalanches could occur. These avalanches should be larger the higher you ascend in elevation or on the volcanoes due to more storm snow being available to slide on the 3/30 crust. Don’t get caught off guard by one of these slow-moving but powerful avalanches near terrain traps or other consequential terrain. They like to fan out as they descend downhill and are capable of entraining snow and growing in size. 

    (3/24/2022)

    Signs of warm temperatures and wet avalanches. Chunks of cornices in the foreground and Wet Loose avalanches in the background were observed at Mount St. Helens on 3/24.

    Photo: Andrew Kiefer

Avalanche Discussion

Friday should be a relatively warmer day between pulses of colder snow-producing storms. Totals from the previous storm aren’t too impressive around the West South zone, with an estimated 4-5” of new snow at Paradise leading the pack. Closer to the crest, storm totals are closer to 2-4”. That’s not a lot of snow to work with and you should find generally safe avalanche conditions across the zone. 

That doesn’t mean there is no hazard. Where it exists, the new storm snow could destabilize with warming temperatures and some sunshine on Friday. This could result in some small Wet Loose avalanches. In areas holding onto colder and drier snow, you could find a wind-drifted pocket or two to steer around at upper elevations. In some locations, you might even see a cornice collapse or a block of snow fall off rocky terrain due to the warm temperatures. Be cognizant of what’s above you and give a wide berth to these ticking time bombs.

As we roll into Saturday, a storm similar to the one we just experienced is on tap for our zone. Although neither of these storms is that impactful on their own, the more cold dry snow we add above the 3/30 interface, the more fuel we have for wet avalanches whenever springlike weather fully takes hold of the zone again.  Below this interface, you should find a more springlike snowpack composed of melt-freeze crusts and large metform grains. As you look deeper in the snowpack, you’ll find the easily identifiable Early March Crust anywhere from 2-3 feet below the surface. We don't anticipate many (if any) avalanches making it below the 3/30 on Friday.

Regions covered