Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Access issues persist across the Cascades with washouts, landslides, and ongoing road closures. Rain and wet snow will return to mid-elevations. Look for some new snow, increasing winds, and shallow wind slabs if you reach upper-elevation terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

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

    A few areas still have wet snow clinging to cliffs and other steep terrain features that could shed with another shot of mild temperatures and light rain. Glide avalanches and other types of shedding events are mostly a problem at middle elevations, but you might also find wet, unstable snow at the transition to upper elevations. 

    Limit your time below the usual suspects like sagging cornices, drippy wet, snow-covered cliffs, and anything else that looks poorly attached to the slopes above you. This includes terrain features, both very large and very small. 

    (3/25/2024)

    Rocky faces that still hold snow could shed with little or no warning. Pay attention to what's above you and don't hangout underneath these features. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

If you find yourself in the mountains this weekend, consider that there has been almost no information available for avalanche forecasting other than weather station data. Be prepared to assess the actual avalanche danger for yourself as you climb into snow-covered terrain. Variation in rainfall and new snow totals, snow on the ground, and temperatures can result in markedly different conditions within a single forecast zone.

A report from upper elevation terrain on Mt. Baker indicated firm conditions with an ice crust capping the surface in some areas. Active wind transport was limited to the highest reaches of the mountain. In general, you can expect to find more snow the farther north and east you are in the West Central zone, but there is essentially no snow at low elevations. Wet snow surfaces at mid-elevations are likely firming up during cooler periods. Still, heavy rainfall from another atmospheric river event on Monday will saturate the snowpack yet again. Colder temperatures and snowfall are forecast to return midweek.

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

Regions covered