Boletín de aludes

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Sun
Alta montaña
2 · Moderado
Límite del bosque
2 · Moderado
Bajo el límite
1 · Débil
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 4 years ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Saturday should be another day of snow showers and winds coming from multiple directions. Keep an eye out on all aspects for unstable pockets of wind-drifted snow to steer around as you ascend in elevation. If the sun breaks through the clouds and is making the snow heavier, be leery of steep sunny slopes where you could possibly push a wet avalanche.

Problemas de aludes

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1–2

    Wind-loaded terrain should once again be the most likely location for you to trigger an avalanche on Saturday. Breezy conditions approaching moderate speeds could impact the zone for much of the day. The wind direction should switch from easterly toward westerly as the day progresses, meaning that you could find freshly building slabs on a variety of aspects. This includes areas where you’re not used to seeing them such as the other side of the ridge or midslope cross-loading. Actively blowing snow, fresh drifts, or changes in the snow depth as you travel are good clues you can use to help identify wind-loaded areas to avoid. Remember that even a small avalanche can be dangerous if you’re in high consequence terrain. If you suspect a slope to be wind-loaded, best to avoid it by seeking out lower angled options.

    (4/13/2022)

    Textured snow surfaces show that the wind has been drifting the snow, possibly into nearby Wind Slabs.

    Photo: Craig Muderlak

Avalanche Discussion

Much of Friday was a bit of a lull in our storm parade at the pass, with periods of sunshine and fairly calm winds. NWAC and WSDOT weather stations reported temperatures soaring into the 40s at road level for the first time in over a week. Alpental Pro Patrol reported rollerballing and plenty of tree bombs during the sunny hours, but that the snow never quite reached the threshold to produce wet avalanches. 

This is the nature of our springtime weather.  A similar pattern has occurred over the past few days and may continue on Saturday. Waves of light precipitation mixed with brief periods of solar input have begun to take their toll on the upper snowpack on slopes that receive direct sunshine. You could find that several thin sun crusts have developed on these slopes, with soft snow between them, making for an upper snowpack crust sandwich. On more open slopes, these multiple subtle crusts may have melded together. Below them, around 2 feet of generally right-side-up cold dry snow still exists over the prominent 4/8 interface. On shadier slopes, you should find less of a surface crust. Instead, expect to find drier snow available to be transported by the wind or produce Dry Loose avalanches on steeper slopes. We do not anticipate any avalanches failing below the 4/8 crust at this point in time. 

Don’t rule out more sun breaks during the day on Saturday. If you notice rollerballing or new fan-shaped avalanches, wet avalanche potential is increasing and it may be time to head for shadier slopes. As the day wears on, those breaks should lessen and clouds and snow showers should increase, much like in recent days. On Sunday, we may see slightly warmer temperatures and more widespread wet avalanches.

Although our season is winding down, conditions are still stormy and avalanche hazard is fluctuating. We still need you to share information with us by submitting public observations about what you're seeing out there. Thanks in advance!

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