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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 30th, 2015–Jan 31st, 2015

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Olympics.

The avalanche danger will be listed as low at all levels in the Olympics zone due to low snow cover.

Detailed Forecast

An upper ridge will weaken slightly, but remain over the region Saturday. In the Olympics this will cause light winds, sunny weather and mild temperatures. High clouds should move in during the day a weak frontal system approaches.

This weather will cause little change in snow conditions and the low snowpack will cause an overall low danger in the Olympics. The only limited avalanche problem to watch for should be loose wet avalanches above treeline. But the likelihood and size will be listed as unlikely and small respectively

Snowpack Discussion

Mainly mild and sunny weather over the past week has further melted away most of the remaining snow at Hurricane.

NWAC pro-observer Katy Reid visited Hurricane last Sunday and reported very low snow cover with snow-free areas on solar slopes. There were no avalanche problems near and below treeline due to lack of snow. 

Katy also ventured toward Mt. Angeles. She found snowdepths averaging 40-80 cm on N aspects with a few drifts above 1 meter. Snow cover was patchy only a few hundred feet below the ridge even on N slopes. This snow was well bonded consisting of melt forms and crusts and did not pose an avalanche problem.

Video cam images via the Park Service web page look more like June than January at Hurricane!

Looking north in Klahhane Bowl on January 25th by Katy Reid.

Looking west to Hurricane Ridge from Klahhane Ridge on January 25th by Katy Reid.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.