Olympics

A storm system will produce wet and windy conditions over the next 2 days.  You may encounter natural or human-triggered wet snow avalanches below ~5000' and slab avalanches within the new storm snow at higher elevations.  Other areas of the Park outside of Hurricane Ridge will see much higher precipitation totals and avalanche danger.  

The frontal system that passed through Saturday night only produced about 2" of snow in the Hurricane Ridge area.  Winds eased on Sunday and there was a fair amount of sunshine for the majority of the day.  We're entering a stormier pattern.  Fluctuating snow levels will bring rain at times between 4000-5000'.   Consistent SW winds will likely transport new snow onto lee slopes below ridgelines.  Hurricane Ridge will be shadowed in this pattern, meaning much heavier precipitation amounts are likely for other parts of the range.   

At elevations where warming and rain create the potential for wet snow avalanches, stay off of slopes steeper than 35 degrees if you find yourself sinking into wet, punchy snow more than a few inches deep,  see pinwheels or natural loose wet avalanches.  Even a small avalanche could cause an injury if it pushes you into trees, rocks or other terrain traps.  

Above the rain/snow line, you'll be contending with snow and wind.  The most dangerous areas will likely be steep open lee slopes,  likely NW-SE aspects,  at higher elevations where deeper slabs can develop.   Slab avalanches may fail within the new snow, or at the new/old snow interface.   Stay off of steep wind-loaded slopes and let the storm play out over the next several days.  You can look for cracking in the new snow and other red flags to help identity which slopes to avoid.  

You can find the stout early March crust in the top foot or so of the snowpack. This crust may be exposed on windswept ridgelines.  Moving forward, we are not concerned about deeper layers in the snowpack below the early March crust.   

2021-22 Forecast Schedule: Avalanchedanger 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.