East Slopes Central

If you are recreating immediately adjacent to the Cascade Crest, you could encounter recent snow at upper elevations that has either been blown around into small slabs of wind-drifted snow or is warming and weakening in the sun. Conditions in the farthest northwest reaches may be more in line with conditions in the East North zone. Watch out for non-avalanche hazards zone-wide due to low snow coverage.

The couple of inches forecasted to reach over the Cascade Crest onto the east slopes didn't quite pan out on Wednesday. Only a dusting of snow was visible on high peaks in the Teanaway and Salmon La Sac. A few flurries may fall on Wednesday night, but they will quickly give way to a sunny spring Thursday.

With very small amounts of recent snow at upper elevations along the Crest, keep an eye out for very small wind slabs on lee slopes, and wet loose avalanches on solar slopes. Nothing will be remotely big enough to bury you, but something could catch you off guard and sweep your feet out from under you. Surfaces will also likely be hard and slick on all aspects in the morning before having time to soften. If you are recreating in extreme terrain with hazards below, take a moment to evaluate what the consequences would be from an uncontrolled fall before diving in.

A potent storm came through the zone on Tuesday, and weather stations near the Crest recorded 0.9-1.8 inches of precipitation. It started as snow but quickly turned to rain for most of the rest of the system. It's possible that more snow may have survived in the farthest northwest reaches of East Central. The East North zone has seen much more snow and consequent avalanches this week, and Mother Nature doesn't always play by the zone boundaries that we humans have created. You can safely bank on hazard being Low at lower elevations zone-wide, but things get less straightforward higher up. We don't have on the ground data for that area, so if you're planning a bigger objective up north in East Central, give the East North forecast a read, too.

Other non-avalanche hazards abound. The zone is riddled with open creeks, random holes, exposed logs, and rocks. Lower elevations and southerly aspects are especially grim. Take your time as you travel around and plan for difficult mountain access.