West Slopes South
Backcountry Avalanche Forecast
Author: Sam Clairmont
Issued: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
Expires: Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
The Bottom Line
The Bottom LineSpringtime weather will maintain generally safe avalanche conditions. Thursday's bump in temperature will slightly increase the chance of snow shedding from rocks and cliffs, cornices collapsing, and isolated wet avalanche activity. As the day heats up, keep an eye on suspect terrain.
Avalanche Danger
Thursday, April 9, 2026
8000-6500ft1 - Low
6500-5500ft1 - Low
5500-3500ft1 - Low
Friday, April 10, 2026
8000-6500ft1 - Low
6500-5500ft1 - Low
5500-3500ft1 - 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. |
Forecast Discussion
Springtime weather continues, with Wednesday bringing a ~5-10F bump in temperatures compared to Tuesday. Clear skies overnight provided a productive refreeze of surfaces, which eventually softened midday Wednesday. An NWAC forecaster in the Tatoosh Range experienced generally firm but edgeable surfaces on northerlies, with the best softening on south/southwest slopes. Softening was restricted to the top couple of inches of the snowpack. No new avalanches were reported.
Thursday will bring a repeat of Wednesday, except for another bump in temperatures, up to 10F warmer than previously. Even with the warm-up, we don't expect any significant change in snow stability, but you might find small and isolated wet-snow activity. These slides are most likely to occur on sunny slopes around warming rocks and cliffs, and areas with a lot of sun reflection, like snow-covered bowl features on the volcanoes. We haven’t seen many cornices collapsing recently, but it’s that time of year when it won’t take much for them to crack and fall. If you’re traveling near ridgelines, give cornices a little extra space. Lastly, there are still large patches of snow clinging to rocks and cliffs. At some point, that snow has to fall, and I’d bet it’s sooner rather than later. Limit your time beneath this type of terrain.
Snow coverage is getting pretty patchy at low elevations. If you're planning a trip that requires a lot of low-elevation travel, consider bringing some walking shoes along, and plan a little extra time to navigate the resurfacing obstacles and creeks.
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.