Bollettino valanghe

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Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

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

Another mild day with sunny skies will keep wet avalanches, shedding cornices, and rocks as our primary avalanche concerns. As surface crusts break down, wet avalanches will become more likely. Avoid lingering in gullies or below cornices and steep rocks that may still shed large chunks of snow. 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

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

    While there have been a few warm days already, there is still potential for wet avalanches in steep, sunny terrain. While many southern aspects formed surface crusts, these could easily break down during the day. We expect avalanche activity to be most likely in very steep terrain or in areas where rocks and cliffs shed snow. If you begin to sink deeply into wet snow or see snow shedding off steep terrain, consider lower-angle slopes and avoid lingering in steep gullies or beneath rocks and cliffs. 

    Another hazard of the warm temperatures is shedding cornices. These overhanging chunks of snow are more likely to fall during prolonged warm periods. Avoid lingering below, while they are a hazard all on their own, they could also trigger a slab avalanche on the slope below. 

    At elevations or aspects where you find thick, supportable surface crusts, wet avalanche activity will be more limited. 

    (1/14/2026)

    Loose wet avalanches, broken cornices, and wind features. Hinkhouse Peak. S, 7,400ft

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

  • Wind Slabs

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

    You could potentially still trigger a wind slab at upper elevations that formed over the 1/28 crust. The most suspect slopes are steep terrain below ridgelines where winds drifted snow deeper. There is a lot of uncertainty on the distribution of where you could trigger one of these due to the variable old snow surfaces. However, an intentionally human-triggered avalanche on the east aspect at upper elevations on Wednesday showed that we're not out of the woods yet.

    You're unlikely to receive obvious feedback from the snowpack in the form of red flags, given that there's been no new loading and several days have passed since the last natural avalanche.  Tread carefully in wind-loaded terrain and gauge the consequences of the terrain you're connected to. What would happen if you triggered an avalanche? You can avoid these avalanches by steering around drifts or sticking to wind-sheltered terrain.  And of course, keep your distance from cornices, as they can be the right trigger to unleash a larger avalanche on the slopes below.

    (2/4/2026)

    An intentionally triggered wind slab that ran on the 1/28 crust ~16" (40cm) below the surface. Size D1.5. Swamp Creek, 7,500ft, ESS-ASc-D1.5-O

    Photo: NCH

Avalanche Discussion

Temperatures at the upper weather station at Washington Pass were in the 50F's on Thursday. It certainly doesn't feel like early February. Temperatures will be slightly cooler on Friday, and there is potential for high clouds to filter the sunshine. 

The recent storm brought 8-14" of snow that rests over the January 28th interface.  Professionals in the Washington Pass area observed small but widespread wet loose activity on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Surface crusts on sunny slopes likely helped to limit wet avalanche activity more on Thursday. There was weak faceted snow above the 1/28 crust, which was the likely culprit in an intentionally triggered slab avalanche on the E aspect of Tower Mt.  However, further snowpack investigations across multiple areas didn't identify the same weak layer. Potentially indicating that this layer is not widespread or consistent in the terrain. That said, it's worth keeping in mind that sometimes when the snowpack holds isolated weak layers, it can be easy to be surprised.

Expect that sunny terrain on southern and western aspects has surface crusts that formed over the last few days. They likely range in thickness from supportable to breakable, depending on aspect and elevation. The warm temperatures also moved around the compass dial, but the surface crusts on shady northern aspects are very thin, barely perceptible in some locations. 

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