Bollettino valanghe

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Wed
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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In sintesi

With another warm day on Tuesday, expect wet avalanches of varying types. While most will be loose and more predictable, cornice failures and slabs of snow sliding off rocks and cliffs are also possible. Manage your travel to avoid overhead hazard and move to lower-elevation terrain if the snow is wet and heavy.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Increasing cloud cover will do little to limit wet loose avalanche activity on Tuesday. The high clouds could create a greenhouse effect and even snow on high-elevation northern aspects could start to warm up. Watch for rollerballs, snow shedding off rocks and cliffs, and wet snow surfaces as the first indication of wet avalanches. Stick to lower-angle terrain if you're sinking deeply into heavy, wet snow, and don't linger beneath steep, unsupported rocks or cliffs still holding snow. 

    Large cornices exist across many ridgelines and alpine features across the zone. They often fail much farther back than expected. During these warm sunny periods, they can become easier to trigger and may fail naturally. Give these some space, especially with the warming trend.

    (3/31/2024)

    Rollerballs and wet loose avalanches off steep rocky terrain in the Chiwakum Mountains. 

    Photo: Katie Warren

Avalanche Discussion

Preliminary Report: NWAC is saddened to report an avalanche fatality as a result of a cornice fall on Mount St. Helens. On Friday, March 29, 2024, a snowboarder summited the peak. While standing near the top, hetriggered a cornice and fell into the crater triggering a large slab avalanche on the slope below. NWAC is working with Skamania Co Sheriff’s office and SAR to compile a report. Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community.

Discussion:

While the weather for Tuesday will begin to transition back to a more active period, we'll still have freezing levels over 10,000ft and only some high clouds building throughout the day. During these spring-like warmups, you could see shed-style avalanches and heavy chunks of snow falling off various places in our mountains. Stay aware of your surroundings and be prepared to back off of objectives if snowpack conditions deteriorate. A mild storm will bring temperatures crashing back down on Wednesday, but unfortunately, not much snow will make it to the eastern Cascades. 

Folks have used the nice weather to push to higher elevations across the zone. Many reported back with observations of wind slabs and dry cold snow on high elevation north aspects and widespread wet avalanches on other aspects.

Backcountry skiers triggered small D1 avalanches in the Mission Peak area on both Friday and Saturday. These avalanches broke 9-12 inches and occurred on east aspects at approximately 5800 ft. You can check out their observations here and here. Around the same area on Friday, an NWAC forecaster found a layer of buried surface hoar within the recent snow. This problem is likely healing with the warm temperatures, but there is still an unlikely possibility of a wet slab running on these crusts or weak snow layers. 

At lower elevations, the snowpack is thin and even sometimes discontinuous. Even though the snow down low is wet and weak, this helps limit the avalanche risk.

Thanks for sharing all the info from your weekend mountain missions! If you get out during the week, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation here. 

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