East Slopes Central

Isolated areas of shallow wind slab may exist at higher elevations, otherwise generally safe avalanche conditions are expected.  On slopes where you find a firm and icy surface crust, avoid steep slopes where a fall would be consequential. 

Observers traveled up the Eightmile creek drainage Sunday and found challenging travel conditions.  Blowing snow was observed along the highest peaks and ridgelines, but the main story was a firm and often slick surface crust that had formed.  Light freezing rain early Sunday morning had formed a slick sheen on top of the already stout melt-freeze crust formed earlier in the week.  This is similar to an observation from Mt Stuart on Saturday where travelers found a slick melt-freeze crust on the surface up to 8500'. 

Use caution near steep slopes where you find a firm and slick surface crust.  Make sure you can self-arrest a fall and avoid slopes where a slip could cause injury.  If you travel above treeline, particularly closer to the Cascade crest, you may find isolated areas of firmer wind slab on lee slopes.  With sunshine and mild temperatures expected Monday,  steep south-facing slopes may become wet and punchy.  The chances of triggering a loose wet avalanche are low, but consider changing aspects if you start sinking into wet snow deeper than your boot top. 

From January 11th to 13th a major storm delivered heavy snow and rain to the East Central zone.  The Sasse Ridge Snotel picked up almost 5" of water(!) over the event.  Over 2 feet of new snow fell before the switch to rain on the 12th.  Further east, Mission Ridge followed a similar temperature and precipitation type trend but only tallied 2.5" of water over the same period.  Large and destructive avalanches ran on the 12th, both as storm slabs and later as wet snow avalanches. Observations were limited during the cycle but in adjacent zones, the activity was well documented.  Forecasters visited Stevens Pass on Tuesday, 1/12 and every avalanche path had at least one, if not multiple avalanches in it. On Washington Pass, observers reported avalanches up to D3 in size (big enough to break mature timber and bury cars) including an avalanche that hit a closed portion of Highway 20, below Delancey Ridge. 

Deeper weak layers exist in areas with a shallow snowpack, such as the Wenatchee Mountains. On Thursday, forecasters traveled south of Blewett Pass and found about 2.5' - 4' of snow on the ground with a number of hard crusts over weaker faceted snow from December.  While snowpack tests suggested there is some potential for avalanches to propagate on the old weak snow layers,  a series of overlying stout crusts above the December facets make this unlikely.  In addition, no new or recent avalanches releasing down to these deeper weak layers have been reported. 

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.