Bollettino valanghe

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Tue
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
2 · Moderato
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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 7 months ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Warm, soggy weather probably won’t do the snowpack any favors. Snow might even fall off trees and rocks, producing wet avalanches on very steep slopes. Pay attention to what’s above you, and don’t linger underneath rocky faces.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

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

    It’s hard to say exactly how the snowpack will react to the warming temperatures and little bit of rain. However, an old adage comes to mind, ‘when things warm up, snow falls down.’ Tree bombs and blobs of snow shedding off rocks could be a hazard in their own right. They may also trigger rollerballs or wet loose avalanches on the slopes below. 

    As the snow surface becomes wet and sticky, you could also turn into the trigger. If you see small point release slides or fresh rollerballs, anticipate  causing avalanches in similar terrain. 

    Overall, we don’t expect this to be a widespread or particularly scary issue. A few things are working in our favor. This will be the second day of a gradual warming trend, and much of the snow is well settled and wind affected. All of these things should minimize the impact of the wet snow. One way to look at it is if you’re being bothered by the rain and reaching for your Gore-Tex, the snow is probably feeling it too.

    Example photo: Rollerballs initiating from trees and other steep, rocky areas. These are indicators that more wet avalanche activity could follow. 

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche Fatality: On Friday, January 9th, four backcountry skiers were caught and carried by a large avalanche while descending near Longs Pass in the Teanaway River drainage. The slide occurred on an S to SE facing slope at approximately 6200ft. One member of the party was not buried. Another teammate was partially buried but injured. The other two individuals were fully buried. During the initial rescue, the team located one of the buried victims, who did not survive. Despite the group's best efforts, they could not pinpoint the fourth member of their team. The party contacted 911 via a satellite device, and Kittitas County Search and Rescue responded to the area on Friday evening. Additional rescue efforts were postponed until daylight. Search and Rescue then returned to the site on Saturday and were joined by NWAC forecasters. The teams were able to locate the remaining victim. Unfortunately, neither of the fully buried skier survived. Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community of those involved in this avalanche accident. S-SE aspect, 6200ft, Avg Depth 2ft, HS-AS-R3-D2.5-O

Forecast Discussion:We’re in for another warm, wet, and windy day in the East Central zone. With most of the precipitation hanging near the Cascade Crest, it’s no surprise that the bulk of the wet avalanche concerns will be in these same locations. Areas in the western portion of the zone near and north of Hwy 2 could see significant rainfall, resulting in potentially more dangerous conditions. 

It’s hard to imagine any lingering wind slabs, but if they still exist in would be in very steep, rocky, complex terrain at higher elevations. If you manage to fight the very strong and gusty winds, damp conditions, and still want to travel in these complicated areas, be wary of firm, potentially hollow slabs. They will be nearly impossible to assess and could break above you. 

For the moment, we're mostly concerned with the surface snow. However, as conditions continue to warm and water begins to work its way through the snowpack, other older layers could become suspect. The first of these layers would likely be the interface between all the recent snow and the most recent crust. In a few locations in other zones, observers reported small facets at this interface, but those issues seem to be fairly isolated and hard to replicate. The East Central is a large diverse. So, it's better to dig and explore than assume the snowpack is locked up. 

Despite a healthy dose of snow the first week of the first week of the year, conditions remain thin, particularly at lower elevations and east of Hwy 97. In addition to the travel challenges this brings, even small avalanches in these locations can take you for a rough, nasty ride.

Regioni coperte