East Slopes Central

Wednesday's storm won't be strong enough to push much precipitation into the eastern Cascades. The exception may be in the northwestern edge of the zone, where small, isolated pockets of wind-drifted snow may form. Use caution in extreme terrain, where a small avalanche could result in a consequential fall. 

While the weather is changing, this isn't a powerful storm. By the end of the day on Wednesday, the eastern Cascades may just get a dusting of new snow. Towards the northeast corner of the zone, more precipitation may spill over the Cascade Crest. So, in this area, thin wind slabs could form on lee aspects. These aren't likely to be significant, except in extreme terrain, where even a tiny avalanche could cause a high-consequence fall. 

New snow will accumulate on a wide variety of surfaces, and we have significant uncertainty about how well it will bond to existing surfaces. Melt-freeze crusts are the most common surface, but they vary in thickness and texture. Southern aspects have thick supportable crusts, often with heavy texturing and runnels. On the northerly aspects, crusts are weakening along with the snow beneath. In many areas, weak, faceted snow exists below and in between these melt-freeze crusts in the upper snowpack.   Surface hoar has also been observed in sheltered, shaded terrain throughout the zone. If you're out in the mountains, monitor how well the new snow bonds with the old surface. Where the new snow falls on weak or slick surfaces and slides easily, avalanches may be more likely with additional snowfall. 

With the minimal snow accumulation, surfaces are likely to stay dangerously slick. A long, uncontrolled fall could go from bad to worse if you run into rocks, cliffs, trees, or creeks. Continue to pack appropriate equipment to arrest a fall. 

Then there's dry ground across many low-elevation or south-facing slopes, reminiscent of early-season conditions. Some areas, like the Wenatchees, lack consistent snow coverage for on-snow recreation altogether. Plan ahead for challenging travel and keep a watchful eye out for exposed obstacles and open creeks.