Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You can trigger slab avalanches in wind-exposed terrain near and above treeline on Monday. Easterly winds formed fresh slabs Saturday into early Sunday. If you see or feel shooting cracks, stiffer snow, or wind-textured surfaces, consider avoiding steep slopes or sticking to wind-sheltered terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Look and feel for signs of drifting such as stiff surfaces, pillowed snow, cornices, and sculpted features. You can also use small test slopes and snowpack tests to determine if the surface snow could slide easily or break as a slab. Easterly wind can have localized effects around Stevens Pass. Typically, the valleys funnel the wind while some areas stay sheltered. You may be able to trigger avalanches more easily in open terrain in the immediate vicinity of Highway 2 and adjacent drainages that are conducive to east wind.

    (12/3/2022)

    Winds increased Saturday afternoon, producing plumes of snow flagging on Mt Lichtenberg.

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

About 4 inches of snow fell early Saturday morning on top of 2 feet of low-density snow from the past week. Sun on Saturday formed thin crusts on steep south aspects. With the deep snow in mind, make sure to stay within earshot or visual of partners. It's still early season and the snowpack may be hiding shallowly buried hazards of rocks and stumps.

Layers of weak snow and slick crusts were buried by a series of storms in mid to late November. Some observations reported finding weak, faceted grains near the ground, especially on steep northerly aspects. Elsewhere, observers found the layer as stronger snow or melt forms. Older weak layers generally haven't been a problem for avalanches in this zone as much as in the East Central zone. Future storms could be enough to activate the weak layers to produce surprising avalanches. Because of the persistent nature of faceted grains, we will continue to closely monitor this as more and more snow piles up on it. 

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