Bollettino valanghe

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

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

Where soft snow still exists in the West South, expect strong winds to build new and possibly reactive slabs. This will be most likely on the volcanoes. Look for smooth firm pillow-like drifts that you may want to avoid.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–1.5

    We’re expecting wind speeds that could easily transport snow and build new slabs Wednesday night and Thursday. The question becomes if there is any soft snow left to blow around. Recent wind events scoured many alpine slopes at White Pass and Crystal Mt. However, places like Paradise picked up an additional 4-6 inches of snow Tuesday night. So, you may find wind slabs are more prevalent in locations near the volcanoes. Nevertheless, keep your eye out for simple clues like blowing snow, wind-scoured slopes, and smooth drifts to anticipate and avoid potential wind slabs. While these possible avalanches should be small and isolated, don’t let them catch you off guard in high-consequence terrain.

    (2/6/2022)

    Wind textured surfaces on Mt Adams. Snow like this can help you anticipate wind slabs on nearby slopes. 

    Photo: Andrew Kiefer

Avalanche Discussion

While you may see a few flurries in the northern part of the West-South zone Thursday, any real precipitation should stay well to the north. Instead, the passing storm should only bring additional clouds and stronger winds. So, even if the sun does come out, it will make it harder for any frozen surfaces to soften. Over the past several days, periods of sunshine have already altered the snow on southerly slopes in most locations. However, while we don’t expect much loose wet avalanche activity on Thursday, if you see new rollerballs anticipate small loose avalanches on similar slopes. 

The recent weather pattern has taken its toll on the snowpack. Warm temperatures, sunshine, and strong winds all played a role in creating a wide variety of snow surfaces. Icy slopes, rough frozen snow, pockets of powder, and breakable crust have all been reported. Additionally, many shallow spots in the snowpack near ridges and cliffs melted back to bare ground. Over this time rocks, trees, and creeks reemerged. In some ways, the greatest hazard you face may come from navigating the variable travel conditions and numerous obstacles 

If there’s a silver lining to the warm and sunny weather, it’s that it created a very strong and well-settled snowpack. While you may find the Late January Crust-Facets in some areas, we don’t anticipate any avalanches on this layer at this time. We expect any avalanche issue to remain in the surface snow near and above the Valentine’s Day crust. Fortunately, this should make observing this shallow interface very easy. 

We’re expecting a significant winter storm this weekend and we need your help. Send us your observations and photos of the snow surface before Saturday’s storm. Often today’s snow is tomorrow’s weak layer. Thanks for all your support!

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