East Slopes South

You are unlikely to encounter much danger from avalanches. But watch for steep rocks and cliffs that still may shed some snow. You will likely experience greater hazards due to thin coverage and challenging travel, including creek crossings, slick crusts, and wet snow. 

Freezing levels are on an upward climb throughout the weekend. While we expect much of the wet loose activity has already occurred in most of the zone, steep rocks and cliffs may still shed saturated snow. Moderate winds and filtered sunshine may also help to limit wet loose avalanche activity on Saturday. The caveat is that this may be the first time the highest elevations have seen significant warming. Therefore, terrain above 7000ft, at the upper edge of our forecast area, might be the most susceptible to wet loose avalanches. Consider traveling on lower-angle slopes if dry snow is becoming wet and heavy and you begin to see rollerballs. If the clouds finally clear out of the eastern Cascades, due south aspects in the sun may have a higher likelihood of wet avalanches. 

On Thursday, I traveled in the Bumping Lake area and observed a wet and shallow snowpack (6-12 inches) at lower elevations. Once above 5000 ft, snow depths became more consistent at 2-3ft. The warm temperatures and constant cloud cover have kept the snowpack warm and wet in this area. Stepping off of my skis resulted in sinking through the entire snowpack to the ground. The snow was supportable to skis, but I'm unsure how a snowmobile might fare in these conditions. You can check out my complete observation here. 

Last weekend's atmospheric river brought 6-12 inches of snow across the east-south, but unfortunately, the storm ended warm with rain. Since then, observers reported variable travel and a breakable crust extending to upper elevations. We are uncertain about the current rain/snow line across the East South, but it's likely somewhere around 6500-7000 ft. We have minimal information about the snowpack above these elevations. If you take advantage of the better weather this weekend to get into alpine terrain, plan for this increased uncertainty and be prepared to make snowpack assessments as you travel. Look for blowing or drifting snow and use quick hand pits or test slopes to see how the surface snow reacts. 

Observations have been sparse since the recent storm, so if you get out, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation.