Snoqualmie Pass

On Tuesday, a skiff of new snow up high and light rain lower down shouldn't be enough to drive much avalanche hazard. That doesn't mean that avalanches can't occur. Pay attention to what’s above you and consider minimizing time spent below precariously hanging blocks of snow.

Temperatures should continue to slowly decrease as a small storm rolls through Snoqualmie Pass on Tuesday. A few inches of snow could fall above the rain/snow line and might drift into a few unstable piles, but we're hedging our bets that you won't be able to find anything large enough to call a consequential avalanche. Still, keep an eye out if you're in extreme or complex alpine terrain.

The real trick becomes lower and mid elevations that were saturated over the past week from an atmospheric river and full on springtime weather. Adding liquid rain below the rain/snow line may help keep wet avalanche potential on the table, particularly glides. However, avalanche activity has been on a slow downtrend after a widespread wet cycle this week. Additionally, the damp snowpack is well suited to handle additional water. So where does that leave us? Our hunch is that you won't see much natural avalanche activity or be able to push an actual wet loose avalanche on Tuesday. All the same, you may want to consider avoiding overhead exposure where a block of snow clinging to a rock or cliff could fall without warning. These events should be unlikely and isolated, but are worth keeping in the back of your mind.

Of course, if the weather forecast busts and it's pouring rain or dumping snow and the wind is whipping it into piles, the potential for avalanches will increase and you should adjust your travel plans accordingly.