Olympics

The storm cycle has been unrelenting at Hurricane Ridge and dangerous avalanche conditions will worsen with another round of snow and wind Tuesday afternoon. Oscillating temperatures have created slabs and widespread avalanche activity as recently as Saturday night and possibly again on Monday. Recent and new winds will create slabs on lee slopes. Keep it simple and avoid all slopes steeper than 35 degrees.

The unrelenting weather continues. Hurricane Ridge picked up another 1.42" of water equivalent in the past 24 hours, bringing us to 4.08" of water equivalent in the last 72 hours.  Since a warm-up on January 1st bringing rain to 5200 ft on Hurricane Ridge, temperatures have oscillated but remained below freezing at this elevation.

We're expecting another 0.7" of water equivalent with light snow showers tonight and the majority of the snowfall arriving from mid-morning through the afternoon hours on Tuesday. This new snow will stress consolidating layers at all elevations creating increasingly dangerous storm slabs that you can trigger on slopes steeper than 35 degrees at all elevations.  Use simple slope tests as you travel to check for interfaces within the recent snow. Active wind transport well below ridgecrest is expected as southerly winds increase on Tuesday. Active wind transport, fresh cornice formation, and cracking of snow surfaces all remind us that wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees are where you are most likely to trigger an avalanche. In wind-sheltered terrain, you could also trigger Dry Loose avalanches that may be large and could easily bury you. With all the recent snow, deep snow immersion, suffocation, and tree wells may be an issue on Tuesday. Travel with and maintain visual and audible contact with your partner while in forested terrain.

Widespread 8" storm slab avalanches were triggered naturally during the storm Saturday night as described in this OBSERVATION. At upper elevations, the 28.5" of snow that fell in the last 48 hours was low-density and non-cohesive. Recent layers are slightly denser than older snow that fell Friday night and Saturday but were not particularly slabby so most of the activity was Loose Dry.

Keep in mind that a thin layer of surface hoar was believed to be the culprit in a large human-triggered avalanche on New Year's Eve (see photo below).  Luckily no one was caught in the slide.  The slab avalanche may have failed on weak snow grains (3-4 mm surface hoar) and was buried 12/29. This layer could be around 40" below the surface and any avalanches on the layer would be very large. We have no recent information regarding whether the surface hoar is healing, so it's advisable not to venture into terrain connected to large avalanche slopes. Below this layer, the mid and lower snowpack is strong with a series of crusts from earlier in the winter.  

2020-21 Forecast Schedule: Avalanche danger ratings will be issued for the Olympics every Friday through Sunday and during mid-week holidays. During the week when the Hurricane Ridge road is closed, forecast information will be updated daily to include expected conditions and relevant travel advice under the No Rating label.   

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, continue to follow the latest guidance from local, state, and federal health officials. Avoid unnecessary risks that could impact first responders and stress medical resources.  Wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, and consider recreating closer to home.