Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 31st, 2019–Jan 1st, 2020

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Stevens Pass.

A warm and potent storm will create dangerous avalanche conditions. You can trigger avalanches in the new snow and in drifts at upper elevations. Expect rain and wet snow at lower elevations.

Discussion

Happy New Year! You can expect avalanche conditions to get more dangerous as you climb higher in the mountains. Both snow amounts and wind drifting will be more significant at upper elevations.

On Tuesday, the rain/snow line hovered around 5,000ft at Steven's Pass Mountain Resort. There's uncertainty around forecasted temperatures and the precipitation type and amount for the next 24 hours. The overall trend is for temperatures, winds, and precipitation to spike Tuesday night, with cooling temperatures and prolonged but diminished precipitation into Wednesday night. You may experience showery snow on Wednesday with possible breaks and bursts of precipitation.

Snowpack Discussion

New Regional Synopsis coming soon. We update the Regional Synopsis every Thursday at 6 pm.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.