Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Continued snowfall will maintain dangerous avalanche conditions in the mountains on Sunday. Wind loaded terrain may contain the largest and stiffest slabs, but there's enough snow out there that you need to be concerned about avalanches on all slopes over 35 degrees. Let this storm play out by sticking to low-angle or sheltered terrain until this storm wraps up.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    New snow is stacking up this week, creating numerous new snow problems for you to manage on Sunday. Slabs will be easier to trigger on slopes over 35 degrees, particularly if they're wind-loaded, convex, or unsupported. In isolated locations, you may remotely trigger slabs from nearby terrain. Any steep slope is capable of avalanching with this much snow, and if it's not a slab, it could be a loose. As you ascend in elevation, storm totals increase significantly, especially where the wind has created deeper drifts. Using uptrack tests, hand pits, or small test slopes can indicate how the new snow is setting up. But to assess the actual hazard, you'll likely need to dig down to the AR crust to get a feel for potential failure points. Depending on your elevation or location, this could be 6 inches to a couple feet below the surface. Keep it simple - avoid slopes over 35 degrees where avalanches are more likely until this storm has passed.

    (3/15/2025)

    A slab avalanche in Great Scott Bowl that was triggered by skiers traveling in nearby terrain. 

    Photo: Stephen Heath

Avalanche Discussion

The storm party isn't over yet, but we left the main event and are heading for the after-party. Snow should continue to pile up Saturday night into Sunday morning, maintaining dangerous avalanche conditions. You may find that avalanche potential is highest first thing in the morning as the heaviest precipitation and wind wrap up. It's been a stormy week at Snoqualmie Pass, with storm totals varying based on elevation and tree cover. Generally speaking, we're measuring this week's snow in feet at mid and upper elevations. The wind has also been a major player with several rounds of moderate to strong gusts from multiple directions. Avalanche activity has been consistent all week and reached new heights on Saturday as winter enthusiasts flocked to the mountains.

During their morning mitigation efforts, the Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol triggered sensitive storm slabs approaching a foot deep. Further up the valley, backcountry travelers in Great Scott Bowl reported remotely triggering a wind slab. Numerous other reports highlighted that the storm snow still needs time to heal and is easily being pushed downhill due to human triggers.

Don't expect much to change on Sunday. More snow will only increase the depth of avalanches and create a new interface to manage. As the storm starts to fizzle, snow and wind could be replaced by rebounding temperatures or periods of sunshine. Any time the sun came out this week after receiving fresh snowfall, wet avalanche activity followed. It's not a slam dunk for Sunday so we're not listing it as an official problem, but you should probably have this on your mind for the rest of the season now that it's mid-March. 

Regions covered