Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Continued rain with warm temperatures will maintain dangerous avalanche conditions at Snoqualmie Pass. Wet avalanches could occur naturally and grow large and powerful as they descend. Even small slides will be wet and heavy, capable of pushing you into a terrain trap.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    The initial onset of rain on snow has now passed. But the rain isn't stopping, and neither is the potential for wet avalanches. They may be fewer in number on Tuesday, but they will likely be larger as water works its way deeper into the snowpack.

    Wet loose slides will be more widespread, possibly growing large as they gouge into last week's storm snow as they descend. But the threat of slabs pulling out, either due to a wet loose or water working toward interstorm layers or pooling on crusts, has to be considered throughout the next few days.

    You won't be able to predict when these slides will occur. If they fail, they'll be very powerful and could run long distances toward valley bottoms. Your best bet will be to limit the amount of time you spend below large open slopes, sagging cornices, or rocky ledges with snow clinging to them. This includes being aware of what type of terrain is far above you.

    (3/8/2026)

    Wet avalanche debris in the Alpental Valley from one of our last rain events. We expect several rounds of natural avalanches this week as rain destabilizes our generally cold and dry upper snowpack.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

We don't have much feedback on avalanche activity from Monday, but we do know we received only about half of the forecasted water. But that was enough to kick off this week's wet cycle. On Stampede Pass, snowmobilers reported natural avalanche activity covering the groomed trails in several spots. We heard phrases like "heavy wet snow", "saturated surfaces", and "large roof-alanches" as folks described conditions. But overall, not many travelers braved the rain to see what was going on in the mountains.

That's a good thing. This week, we'll be in a perpetual pattern of warm temperatures and rain, resulting in dangerous conditions. Some days will be light, some heavy. Natural avalanches will be near constant as the rain works to destabilize last week's dry snow. The major question is when (or possibly if) the scales will tip, leading to very large and destructive avalanches.

We often see these slides after several days of warm weather or when there is a large input of water on a dry snowpack all at once. The smaller water numbers day after day won't be the big all-in-one punch we sometimes get, but there could be a cumulative effect as the warm, rainy days stack up.

As the week progresses, the number of slides should decrease, but the size will likely increase. With roughly 5 feet of generally cold, dry snow to work with, wet avalanches could grow large to very large as they descend. This could be one of those times where hanging out in the meadows or lower in avalanche paths may not be wise, even though the hazard isn't high. 

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