West Slopes North

The number and size of wet-loose avalanches on Friday are up for debate, but it is a given the upper snowpack is currently moist or wet up to 5000-5500 feet. It should mostly stay that way with rising snow levels and light rainfall.

Avoid travel on or directly below slopes showing signs of wet avalanche instability, such as rollerballs and very small wet slides, or where the snow is wet and sloppy. If rainfall is greater than expected, we could start to see wet slab avalanche activity as well.

New snow amounts are not impressive, but the warming trend at higher elevations could create shallow new-snow instabilities. Look for strong-over-weak layering as you gain elevation, and use hand pits and test slopes to evaluate the bond of new snow layers.

Winds are not forecast to be particularly strong, but you are still more likely to trigger an avalanche on wind-loaded slopes that hold slightly thicker and more sensitive slabs. Unstable slabs might also be found at and below 5000 feet in the morning if colder, drier snow falls overnight.

The persistent slab avalanche problem is trending less likely. The mountains have seen continued loading from rain and wet snow, but no new slab avalanches have been reported in areas that saw the most persistent slab activity over the weekend. Numerous wet-loose avalanches in the past day or two have also not pulled out any large slabs. That said, this problem remains on the radar in select locations, such as Excelsior Ridge in Canyon Creek, in or near North Cascades National Park, or along the Canadian border.

It’s possible to dig down and look for layers of buried surface hoar or facets and evaluate stability. Whumphing or shooting cracks are red flags, but don't count on getting warned beforehand. The easiest solution might be to avoid steep, unsupported slopes in areas where these avalanches were reported over the weekend. These layers could also wake up with a bigger shot of rain this weekend.