Snoqualmie Pass

Generally safe avalanche conditions are expected at Snoqualmie Pass on Thursday. However, mountain travel could be challenging and potentially hazardous. Don't fully turn off your brain and get pushed into a terrain trap or slip in high-consequence terrain. 

Our up-and-down weather week will start to settle out on Thursday, as clouds and flurries are expected to give way to sunshine and decreasing winds. Without any major weather inputs expected for the next several days, you can anticipate that generally safe avalanche conditions will exist. That doesn't mean there won't be any hazards out there to contend with.

On the highest peaks, you could find a few pockets of wind-blown snow. Don't get tripped up by one in consequential terrain.

More likely than that will be wet loose avalanche activity. As the sun comes out, the marginal recent snowfall from Wednesday could destabilize on sun-exposed slopes. Expect to find rollerballs, pinwheels, and possibly small wet avalanches running on an underlying crust. These are expected to all be below the threshold for what we consider consequential avalanches. All the same, don't let one push you into a terrain trap or over a cliff. If you're sinking into moist snow deeper than your ankle, you might experience larger slides.

You most certainly will need to deal with travel hazards if you're heading for the hills. Open creeks and holes, frozen avalanche debris, down trees, slick crusts, and bare ground are commonplace right now, particularly at lower elevations or on southerly aspects.

Overall, the Pass has roughly 1-4 inches of snow sitting over a stout, foot-thick, melt-freeze crust. Any avalanche activity in the coming days is expected to occur above this easily identifiable interface, which could act as a good bed surface for avalanches to run on.