Lawinenlagebericht

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich
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Kernpunkte

With heavy rain on the way, dangerous avalanche conditions continue in Snoqualmie Pass. It's not clear exactly when or where wet avalanches will occur, but when they do, they could be large and deadly. All steep slopes are suspect, and the best thing to do is limit your time on or beneath terrain steep enough to slide. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wet Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    Wet loose, wet slab, and glide avalanches are all on the table for Friday, as heavy rain returns for another day. The mountains have already picked up significant water this week that has percolated deep into the snowpack. In the last few days, we've seen a rise in large wet slab and glide avalanches throughout the zone. This activity is likely to continue on Friday.

    Unfortunately, the timing and location of these slides are hard to pin down. What we do know is that large natural avalanches are occurring daily, and continued rain will only add stress to the snowpack. 

    Tip toeing around this problem will be difficult, and the standard small slope tests won't provide good assessment.  The key to navigating this problem is terrain choice. Limit your time on or beneath steep slopes, cornices, or rocky features. Use conservative travel techniques to minimize your exposure as you approach and exit the mountains.

    (3/18/2026)

    A glide avalanche on Rockface at Alpental. It occurred on Wednesday morning. Similar slides will be front and center as rain continues throughout the week.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

Snoqualmie Pass has picked up over 5" of rain since Sunday. This prolonged rainfall has had significant impacts on the snowpack, squashing more than 5 feet of recent snow, re-exposing objects,  and blowing open previously bridged creeks. Avalanche activity has shifted from numerous small loose wet slides to fewer, larger wet slab avalanches. Thursday's observations from the Source Lake area showed many large natural wet avalanches, with debris scattered across the Fan and below the Bryant Couloir.

NWAC forecasters traveled to Microwave Hill on Thursday to assess how deep the rain had penetrated the snowpack. At 5,000 feet, they found the snowpack entirely moist to wet, with rounded grains near the surface and degrading crusts and large melt forms below. While older crust interfaces remained identifiable, they are becoming increasingly indistinct with continued water input.

Another significant round of rain will impact Snoqualmie Pass Thursday night through Friday. As heavy rain continues to strain an already saturated snowpack, large avalanches could continue to fail on steep slopes. It's hard to know what slopes will release, and when. Thus, it's not a bad idea to limit your time on or beneath steep, consequential terrain altogether. A long-awaited cooling trend will begin on Friday, but don't expect to see any snowflakes just yet.

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