Olympics

With water likely draining the snowpack, keep your attention on the low likelihood that water seeping through the snowpack will lubricate the base of the snowpack to form large avalanches. Look for cracks in avalanche start zones and avoid lingering on or below these or similar pieces of terrain.

The entire atmospheric river event represented a major whallop of 4" of water equivalent. The storm started with the snowpack gaining 20" as heavy, wet snow fell late Sunday through early Monday afternoon above 4000-5000 ft. At Hurricane Ridge proper, the precipitation changed to rain at the tail end of the storm with precipitation trailing off Tuesday morning. . Temperatures rose to 33F at Hurricane Ridge and 35F at Waterhole nearby at around 5000 ft. Additional rain/snow arrived Tuesday night with perhaps 1-4" of wet snowfall above 5000-5500 ft. Deep, dense but dry snow may remain above 6000 ft.

• Wet avalanche problems linger as water drains the snowpack. Give slopes with large cracks an extra safety margin and remember that wet avalanche concerns can linger well after the rain stops. If the surface snow feels heavy and wet and you can sink in past your ankle, you can trigger a wet avalanche that may run far on the moist/wet snow interface.
• Dry snow avalanche concerns should focus on the above treeline terrain where 20" of dry snow may sit above low-density snowfall that overlies the 2/19 crust. This snow should be gradually stabilizing but may take more time as it sits on low-density snowfall from 2/19. Ascend with caution as the snowpack turns winterlike. You may want to dig down and test the interface 2/26 storm interface before committing to a steep and/or unsupported slope as an avalanche could be large.

Keep in mind that unusually dry and warm conditions in January and the first half of February exposed bare ground on many W and S aspects and at lower elevations where the atmospheric river event mostly fell as rain. Photos from these outings remain in the media gallery to remind you of the landscape prior to the snowfall and how the recent snow may just be enough to mask shallowly submerging rocks or stumps - or magnify the risk of a any avalanche. Take your time navigating shallow snowpack areas or open, gushing creeks in the valley bottoms.

2021-22 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.