Bollettino valanghe

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Thu
Alta quota
4 · Forte
Limite del bosco
4 · Forte
Sotto il limite
2 · Moderato
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In sintesi

Avoid all avalanche terrain on Wednesday, maybe cozy up with a book instead. This next storm brings more precipitation, warmer temperatures, and stronger winds. Natural avalanches will occur, and you could easily trigger large, dangerous avalanches in steep terrain. Lower elevations have very thin coverage, but very large avalanches could run from above.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Very Likely
    Dimensione
    2–3

    Another significant warming event, with heavy snow and rain, will make the mountains a dangerous place to be on Wednesday. Heavier snow will accumulate over lighter snow, creating a perfect setup for storm slabs. If you choose to head out on Wednesday, consider two storm slab hazards. You could easily trigger large avalanches on steep slopes or rollovers. Even if these involve just the recent snow, they could be up to 2ft deep. If they break down to underlying crusts, you could see crowns 3-4ft deep. Use careful route selection to avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees.

    The other storm slab hazard will come from above. Lower elevations have a thin snowpack and moderate hazard due to low cover. However, very large avalanches are expected to reach this elevation band. They may move through vegetation, rocks, and other terrain. They won't be as widespread as avalanches at upper elevations, but they are a significant and unpredictable hazard. Don't linger beneath these large paths. There was a similar natural avalanche cycle on Tuesday from Cutthroat Peak and The Liberty Bells (see photo).

    (12/9/2025)

    Large natural avalanche out of the Liberty Bells. This slide likely occurred early on Tuesday (12/9/25).

    Photo: Will Govus

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Very Likely
    Dimensione
    2–3

    The zone escaped much of the warming event on Tuesday, but that likely won't be the case for Wednesday. Expect very large wet avalanches in many forms, wet loose, wet slabs, or even a rogue glide. You could easily trigger wet loose avalanches in steep terrain, particularly as rain falls on dry snow. Natural wet avalanches can run long distances, even through thick brush, into areas without significant snow. So don't let your guard down if you're out on a trail for a hike. Know what terrain is above you and avoid lingering in or near gullies where wet avalanches can flow from upper elevations.Despite the lower chance of being avalanched from above, it is a consideration for travel in the lower-elevation band. So stick with conservative travel choices and avoid all terrain where avalanches can start, run, or stop. This is true even if there's little or no snow at your feet.

    (12/9/2025)

    Large natural wet avalanche off of Cutthroat Peak. This slide likely occurred early on Tuesday (12/9/25).

    Photo: Will Govus

Avalanche Discussion

Well, the onslaught continues, and this time the East North zone is unlikely to avoid the worst of the warming. While it may be an all-snow event above 6500ft, we wouldn't be surprised if rain climbs even higher. Even at those elevations, strong winds, warming, and up to 3 inches of snow water equivalent will make avalanche conditions especially hazardous. This is likely to be a large-scale avalanche event, and we should allow the mountains adjust before venturing back out.

Recent observations from Washington Pass and Harts Pass confirm a natural avalanche cycle early Tuesday. Large avalanches reached HWY 20 and spanned elevation bands at Harts Pass. Strong winds at upper elevations caused deep drifts, cornices, and wind formations. Several small avalanches were observed in the recent storm snow.

We have no direct information about a deeper weak layer at the start of this storm. The recent snow fell on a layer of weak faceted snow over a crust. With another significant snow load and weak snowpack structure, a widely propagating, very large avalanche is not out of the question. Whumphing or remotely triggered avalanches may indicate more dangerous persistent slab conditions. Extra caution is warranted with this increased uncertainty.

Early season conditions mean shallow snow cover at low elevations. Expect difficult travel over rocks, logs, and open creeks.

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

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