Snoqualmie Pass

Increasing wind speeds may drift snow into small and isolated slabs at the middle and upper elevations. Steer around fresh drifts on steep and consequential slopes if blowing snow is visible. If you happen to see active rollerballs or you are sinking in past your boot tops into wet snow, stay off of and out from under steep slopes. 

Though the avalanche danger will be low for most of the day, it could increase in the afternoon if precipitation arrives a bit sooner than expected.

Snow professionals and backcountry travelers noted an uptick in natural and human-triggered wet avalanche activity on shaded slopes at all elevation bands on Saturday. Many of these slides originated as blobs of snow in steep and rocky terrain and caused wet loose slides when they fell onto slopes below. While virtually all were small, the widespread activity in north-facing terrain, especially at the upper-elevations, caught us and many backcountry travelers a bit by surprise.

Hopefully, Saturday's activity finished off the wet shed, however, continued warm temperatures on Sunday should keep this on your radar. Fortunately, these problems typically give easy to observe warning shots in the form of rollerballs, snow falling from trees, and a wetting snow surface, all of which signal that it is time to get out of harm's way. Shallow surface snow above a crust means that any slides will continue to be small, but don't get caught off guard in consequential terrain. We don't expect wet avalanche problems on Sunday on slopes that face the sun as they have already gone through multiple freeze-thaw cycles leaving a strong surface crust in place. 

We are in for a change as winter weather moves back in to the forecast area, though most potential new avalanche impacts won't be felt until Monday. The biggest thing you will notice from the incoming storm during the day on Sunday is the increasing wind speeds, though some precipitation may begin to fall later in the afternoon. There really isn't much snow available to erode off windward slopes, so any new slabs should be small until more snow falls from the sky. Your eyeballs will clue you into fresh slab formation so if you see blowing snow, expect that slabs are forming wherever it lands. The primary danger will be if an isolated slab knocks you off your feet above rocks, cliffs, or trees, so consider the consequences before committing to a slope with a fresh wind drift. 

Finally, stay way back from cornices and don't linger under any open glide cracks.

General Conditions:

Multiple above freezing days and cool clear nights created a stout crust on slopes that face E-S-W. While those slopes should have a supportable crust somewhere near the surface on Sunday, the surface itself may or may not be frozen, depending on your elevation and aspect. Crampons could help minimize the risk of a long sliding fall if you are traveling on a steep frozen crust. On upper-elevation north-facing slopes, you may find 3-6" of dry snow over a crust, or you may find a brittle surface crust as a result of Saturday's warming. Meanwhile, lower and middle-elevation shaded slopes are likely crusted.