Boletín de aludes

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Thu
Alta montaña
2 · Moderado
Límite del bosque
2 · Moderado
Bajo el límite
Sin grado
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 9 months ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Torrential rains will continue to saturate the snowpack and cause blocks of snow to shed from rocks and cliffs. Pay attention to what’s above you, and choose routes that help limit the time you spend under this terrain.

Problemas de aludes

  • Glide Cracks

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

    It’s hard to say how much snow is left to fall down, but the sustained deluge of rain, to well above ridge crest, will certainly test any snow still clinging to rocky faces. As water continues to run through and underneath the snowpack, blocks of snow may shed with little or no warning. It doesn’t need to be a huge alpine face. Any steep rocky slope will do. 

    Keep an eye on the slopes above you. If you must travel underneath rocky terrain, don’t dilly dally, and only expose one person at a time. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the snowpack is pretty shallow, and the less snow, the smaller the avalanche. As a result, there’s no real hazard at lower elevations. As you ascend and the snowpack gets deeper, potential avalanches could get bigger. 

    This snowpack has seen a LOT of water this week. It should handle this round of rain pretty well. However, if it truly gets saturated, natural wet loose slides could begin to run on the ground, similar to the glide/shed avalanches mentioned above. If you start to see fresh loose avalanches gouging the snowpack, the rain is winning, and it’s time to get out from under similar steep slopes.

    (3/2/2025)

    Example: Even smaller rocky slopes like this could produce wet avalanches. Snow precariously hanging to a rocky ledge with a waterfall running down the middle.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

Pool floaties may be appropriate backcountry attire on Wednesday as eye-popping amounts of rain continue to fall at the Pass. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The weather will be very warm, wet, and windy. The stormy conditions may be one of the most significant hazards you face. 

Even though the Pass picked up an inch or two of snow Tuesday morning, it mostly fell on bare ground at lower elevations. Below 4500 to 5000 feet, there’s just not sufficient snow to create an avalanche hazard. Expect long walks over muddy trails to access the higher terrain. Where’s the consistent snow-line? After these rain events, it’s very hard to say. Even at upper elevations, expect relatively shallow snowpacks full of early season hazards like rocks, holes, bushes, and cliffs. 

Rain to well above ridge crest won’t help the situation. Once the storm finally clears, we’ll need to take stock of the damage and see just how much snow we have left in the zone. 

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

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