Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Dangerous avalanche conditions will exist at Snoqualmie Pass on Friday. Give the snowpack time to heal by avoiding slopes over 35 degrees where triggering an avalanche is more likely. Recent slides are the best indication that you could trigger an avalanche of your own, and we've had plenty of those recently.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Several rounds of precipitation, strong winds, and fluctuating freezing levels have created several potential weak points in the storm snow. The depth of potential slabs will vary based on elevation and exposure to wind. You'll need to dig down with your hand or shovel to look for potential failure points, often indicated by heavy over softer snow (upside-down snowpack). Use small test slopes or uptrack tests as you travel to get information about how the snow reacts to your weight, but don't make them your only assessment tool. Potential weak layers may be too deep for those tests to be reliable. Shooting cracks or recent avalanches are red flag signs of instability that should not be ignored. If you see any signs of instability or get easy failures in your tests, avoid slopes over 35 degrees where slab avalanches are more likely. 

    (12/26/2024)

    A storm slab triggered by explosives during morning mitigation efforts at the Summit at Snoqualmie on 12/26.

    Photo: Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Friday will be the relative lull in our stormy holiday week, with only 0.5" of water forecast. Our hunch is that widespread natural activity will taper due to decreasing winds and snow loading. That doesn't mean it will be fully eliminated. Natural avalanches could still occur during or shortly following periods of heavy precipitation rates or strong winds. All activity should continue to be confined to the snow above the easily identifiable Solstice Crust.

Observations from Thursday were extremely limited due to the ferocity of the storm. The Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol reported sensitive storm slabs throughout the day as temperatures fluctuated and the storm raged on. Start zones reloaded after being cleaned out, and the snow was observed to be upside-down. Backcountry travelers in the Alpental Valley reported large debris piles due to natural avalanches.

At lower elevations, warm temps were able to creep up and soak the snowpack, making it heavy and wet. A similar bump in temperatures is expected tomorrow. As a result, you may find wet and soggy snow and the potential for wet avalanches down low, particularly in the western part of the zone.

This storm cycle is slowly changing the narrative around early-season hazards and difficult travel. Those problems are still out there, but hopefully, a few more days of snowy weather will start to put them in the rearview mirror.

Regions covered