East Slopes Central

On Sunday, challenging travel on firm, icy surfaces will remain the primary concern. However, expect increasing avalanche danger as a storm begins to impact the eastern slopes of the Cascades late in the day and overnight. The new snow will fall on various crusts and weak surfaces.

The cold front approaching the region will be slower to impact the central and eastern portions of the Cascades. However, there is some uncertainty with the timing and precipitation amounts, so it will be important to assess conditions in the specific areas you are traveling. By the end of the day on Sunday, you may be able to trigger small wind slabs at upper elevations, especially in the northern portion of the East Central zone and in areas closer to the Cascade Crest. If you begin to travel through deep drifts of snow or experience cracks shooting out in front of your skies, it might be time to choose more conservative terrain. 

Cloud cover on Sunday will prevent surfaces from softening, and you should anticipate another day of challenging, rough, icy travel. The prolonged diurnal melt-freeze cycle has created a strong crust on most surfaces. In the Icicle Creek drainage, low elevations have a thick ice crust. These slippery crusts can make a fall result in an uncontrollable slide-for-life. Soft snow 4 to 6 inches deep is preserved in sheltered terrain on northern aspects and rests on a thick melt-freeze crust. This snow is weak, faceted, and has a surface hoar layer in some locations. In the highest elevations on northern aspects, snow has been drifted around by the wind creating boilerplate, wind-stiffened snow with unpredictable pockets of deeper soft snow. New snow will land on these slick and weak surfaces, and adjacent slopes may react differently, creating variability and the potential for surprising avalanches. So as the snow piles up, travel conservatively and enter new terrain slowly. Quick hand pits are also a great way to observe how well the new snow bonds to the underlying surface.