Stevens Pass

Avalanche danger is Low. Carry rescue gear and use good travel habits in snow-covered avalanche terrain. Limit time beneath snow-covered cliffs and rocky features that are warming in the sun. Expect colder temperatures below 5000 feet, and firm, variable surfaces everywhere.

The likelihood of fresh wet avalanche activity is ever-lowering as temperatures gradually fall, and with a bit more cloud in the sky. There’s still an outside chance of a small amount of wet snow moving down the hill, but it would be very isolated in nature—think sunny, south-facing, snow-covered cliffs sitting above the inversion. Even on Low danger days, general mountain hazards like snow shedding from cliffs, rockfall, cornice fall, and slick, slide-for-life surfaces should never be ignored.

The inversion remains strong. At 11:00 am on Wednesday, there was a 14-degree difference in temperature between low- and mid-elevation stations. While the Pass sat at 19°F, temperatures were 33°F just 1,200 feet higher at the top of Skyline Express. There was also a clear east–west gradient: at the same time, Tye Mill registered 24°F. Notably, Tye and Skyline—nearly the same elevation and only about a mile apart—were separated by 9 degrees.

A corn-seeking observer in Tunnel Creek found about a few inches of sun-softened snow on southerly aspects. Soft snow didn't last for long as it refroze immediately once it slipped back into the shade. East flow was sending an impressive wave of cloud through the Pass for much of the day. Perhaps the most notable observation was that the very surface of the crust is beginning to facet on shady slopes. Not exactly a dangerous snowpack factor, but something to keep an eye on with more high pressure in the week ahead.