Olympics
Backcountry Avalanche Forecast
Author: Dallas Glass
Issued: Friday, March 20, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
Expires: Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
The Bottom Line
The Bottom LineEven though temperatures are cooler and the surface may be crusty, water is still working its way through the snowpack. Natural avalanches won’t be common, but a few isolated blobs of snow could fall down. Don’t linger below very steep and rocky slopes.
Avalanche Danger
Saturday, March 21, 2026
6500-5500ft2 - Moderate
5500-4500ft2 - Moderate
4500-3000ft1 - Low
Sunday, March 22, 2026
6500-5500ft1 - Low
5500-4500ft1 - Low
4500-3000ft1 - Low
Avalanche Danger ScaleLearn moreGeneral InfoGeneral Information1 - LowLow2 - ModModerate3 - ConsConsiderable4 - HighHigh5 - ExtrExtreme
1 - Low | 2 - Moderate |  3 - Considerable |  4 - High |  5 - Extreme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Advice | Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern. | Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended. | Extraordinarily dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid all avalanche terrain. |
| Likelihood of Avalanches | Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely. | Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible. | Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely. | Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely. | Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain. |
| Avalanche Size and Distribution | Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain. | Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas. | Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas. | Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas. | Very large avalanches in many areas. |
Avalanche Problems (1)
Problem #1: Wet Slab
Problem Type
Wet Slab
Aspect/Elevation
Likelihood
Size
(4/10/2025)
Example: Shed style avalanches like this could continue despite the cooler temperatures.
Photo: Dallas Glass
It's been a warm, wild, and wet week in the Olympics! The likelihood of avalanches is certainly dropping, but they won’t stop on a dime. All the water will continue to work its way through the snowpack. Until it fully drains or freezes solid, there’s still a chance for a rogue natural wet avalanche. Unfortunately, that means predicting exactly when or where is nearly impossible.
During conditions like this, it’s all about limiting the amount of time you’re exposed to the hazard. Pay attention to what’s above you, and don’t dilly dally underneath rocky terrain or slopes where you see crevasse-like cracks. These wet avalanches can take many forms, but the precise name doesn’t matter; any slide will probably be wet, heavy, and dangerous.
The snow surface should form a crust on Friday night. This probably won’t have much of an impact on the wet slab/glide concerns. If the surface softens during the day, you may be able to push some wet snow on a very steep, sunny slope. This could take some real effort, but produce a wet loose slide nonetheless.
Forecast Discussion
The good news is that most of the rain has finally ended. The bad news is that it’s been raining near or above the tops of the highest peaks for the past six days. Precipitation totals range from 1.5 inches of water in the eastern portion of the range, to 2.5 inches around Hurricane Ridge, to more than 6 inches in the southern Olympics.
Clearing skies and below-freezing temperatures should help the surface start to freeze. Exactly how fast this happens depends on a number of variables. As a result, surface conditions could vary greatly not only across the zone, but even slope to slope. You may encounter wet punchy snow, breakable crusts, firm hard surfaces, or even icy slopes. After all this rain, prepare for the surface to be very irregular and littered with tree debris.In fact, travel conditions could be one of the greatest hazards you face.
After all this rain, what does the snowpack look like? Good question. We expect water to have reached many of the recent weak layers and crusts, and likely begun to transform the snow into a variety of melt-form grains. It’s possible that dry snow continues to linger in the upper snowpack in the eastern portions of the zone. However, any weak old snow layers would probably be very isolated, if they exist at all.
The recent warm weather didn’t do the lower elevation terrain any favors. Bare ground, downed logs, random holes, and open creeks continue to make travel more challenging than normal. Give yourself extra time to deal with all the travel obstacles you may encounter.
This information is provided by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and describes general backcountry avalanche hazard and conditions.
It does not apply to ski areas and highways where avalanche mitigation is conducted.