East Slopes Central
Backcountry Avalanche Forecast
Author: Dallas Glass
Issued: Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
Expires: Monday, April 6, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
The Bottom Line
The Bottom LineIt shouldn’t take long for sunshine and warm temperatures to make the snow surface wet and weak. You might push small wet avalanches in very steep terrain, or blobs of snow could fall off rocks and ridgelines. Start your day early and get back before things get too sloppy.
Avalanche Danger
Monday, April 6, 2026
7500-6000ft2 - Moderate
6000-5000ft2 - Moderate
5000-2500ft1 - Low
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
7500-6000ft1 - Low
6000-5000ft1 - Low
5000-2500ft1 - 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 Loose
Problem Type
Wet Loose
Aspect/Elevation
Likelihood
Size
(4/5/2026)
Example: Intentionally triggered wet loose avalanches. Slides like this often occur when you find wet snow deeper than your ankle.
Video: Sam Clairmont
Clear skies Sunday night could allow the surface to freeze despite the warm temperatures. Once any crust breaks down, game on. Wet avalanches could go from non-existent to easy trigger. The one thing we have in our favor is the lack of snow over the 3/25 crust. That’s limiting the size of human triggered wet loose slides. Expect avalanches to be slightly larger near the crest, where more snow fell last week.
Pay attention to the surface and how it changes by aspect, elevation, and slope angle. If you find wet snow deeper than your ankle, head to lower angle or less slushy slopes.
After several days of above freezing temperatures, the chance for weird shed-style avalanches grows. Blobs of snow could fall off rocks, or chunks of cornice may collapse. Fortunately, there’s not much left to fall down. However, with temperatures this warm, anything remaining might let go. Don’t spend any more time under these hazards than necessary. It’s impossible to say if or when they’ll release. Even a small chunk of dense wet snow would back a big punch.
Forecast Discussion
We’re in for yet another warm and sunny day. This time, temperatures in the East Central zone could tick a notch higher. Yikes! Most weather stations haven’t dipped below freezing since Friday. That’ll be 3 nights without a solid freeze. Often, this is when we start to worry about the snowpack producing weird wet avalanches.
One thing that’s a bit different with this setup is the burly 3/25 crust. This layer may be at or near the surface in some places. It’s often stout enough to break your shovel. This solid layer has helped keep the snowpack locked up and the avalanche danger lower. In the western portion of the zone, you could find 3-5 inches of recent snow over the crust. In some spots, sugary facets were observed. It's hard to imagine these weak grains surviving this weekend’s heat. If you were to find them, it would most likely be on a higher elevation, shaded slope. Further east in the zone, the 3/25 crust may not be as thick, but neither is the snowpack. In this case, less snow equals less hazard.
Access and observations have been tricky in the East Central zone. That means we aren’t quite as confident as normal. If you’re using the nice weather to head to higher and more remote locations, recognize we know very little about the snowpack in these areas. It may feel like spring, but in most places the snowpack hasn’t fully made the transition.
Coverage remains a major issue, particularly at lower elevations and on southerly slopes. Open creeks, random holes, downed logs, and exposed rocks take time and patience to navigate safely.
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.