Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

You might trigger an avalanche where a few inches of recent wet snow sits over a firmer crust. This will be most common at middle elevations. If the surface is frozen, expect generally safe conditions.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    There’s a chance the wet snow from Wednesday won’t freeze overnight. If it stays wet and punchy, you could still trigger avalanches on Thursday. At upper elevations, colder temperatures should help cap any wet snow with a crust. Down low, the snowpack has been through so much during repeated warm and wet cycles that there’s just not much left to fall down. So, the band to worry about is somewhere in the middle. If you see a few inches of wet snow on the surface, then you’ve found the elevation band in question. Be careful, especially if one of these smaller slides could push you off a cliff or into a creek. 

    Despite the cloud cover, isolated shed-style avalanches could still occur. Cornices may collapse, glides release, wet slabs run, or wet loose avalanche gouge. These slides are impossible to predict and don’t always correspond to the time of day or weather. It’s all about managing your overhead hazard. Limit the time you spend underneath snow-covered rocky faces and looming cornices.

    (4/5/2024)

    A small "push-o-lanche" (wet loose) slide. Even though this avalanche was tiny, it would be a nasty ride if you followed into the open creek below. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

If skies are clear enough Wednesday night the surface should freeze and result in generally safe avalanche conditions. If it doesn’t, it might not be particularly hazardous, but it won’t be Low. Similarly, cloud cover during the day should limit the danger. However, this time of year, the sun often finds a way to sneak through. This doesn’t take blue sky. Filtered sunshine can quickly lead to “greenhousing” and an increase in natural avalanche activity at all elevations. If this starts to occur, take a step back and seek out areas away from steep slopes.

If you climb to the tops of some of the higher peaks, you’ll still find dry snow on steep, dark, northerly aspects. You could even see wind-affected areas. Observations suggest wind slabs have healed, but don’t ignore obvious wind loaded pockets, especially in high consequence terrain. 

On Wednesday, avalanche professionals at the Pass reported several large natural wet loose slides and lots of smaller ones. Southerly aspects became very wet at all elevations, while drier snow lingered on northerly slopes. 

We’re mainly worried about the snow above the Early April Crust (EAC). At middle elevations, this might only be 6 inches deep; higher in the terrain, a foot of snow may cover it. At the moment, we aren’t too concerned about deeper layers, but much of the snowpack hasn’t transitioned to spring. You can still see all the layers back to early February. There could be a few surprises as the snowpack continues its transformation into spring. 

At lower elevations, the snowpack has become thin. Open creeks, holes, and bare ground are common. Give yourself extra time to deal with extra travel challenges. 

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