Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

There’s not much new snow, but the wind may turn these couple of inches into small slabs, particularly at higher elevations. Be leery of deeper drifted pockets in higher consequence terrain. As the sun comes out, expect plenty of rollerballs and tiny loose avalanches.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    These wind slabs shouldn’t be particularly big, scary, or even common. But the combination of a few inches of snow and strong winds may result in isolated slabs large enough to knock you off your feet or push you around. Some of these avalanches could trigger easily or even run far down slope over an underlying firm crust. 

    You may find wind loaded slopes on the lee side of ridges, along the base of cliffs, and on exposed mid-slope rollovers. Look for textured surfaces, scoured slopes, and small drifts to determine local wind patterns and anticipate which features hold a wind slab. 

    If more snow falls Sunday night than expected, wind slabs could be larger and more widespread. Measure the new snow as you travel. If you find more than 4 inches in sheltered areas, expect this problem to be worse than anticipated. If you consistently measure less than 2, it might not exist at all.

    This wind slab was triggered on Friday and involved recent snow from last week. You may find similar isolated pockets like this on Monday. (3/27/2026) Photo: Eddie Schoen

Avalanche Discussion

Hard to really call this a storm, but the Pass should pick up a few inches of snow Sunday night and very early Monday morning. A Puget Sound Convergence Zone seems to hang around the I90 corridor. These features can be tricky. If they line up, the Pass could get a little more snow than expected. 

While it could be cold and cloudy to start the day, the trend seems to be drying and clearing. With the sun coming out, the most in-your-face observation may be piles of rollerballs and a few mini wet loose slides on steep southerly slopes. While they could travel far down the slope, the lack of new snow should keep them from being very impactful. Similarly, on shaded aspects, you may find any soft snow sluffs easily over the old crust. Even though neither type of slide will be large enough to hurt you, don't let them surprise you above a cliff or open creek. 

Beneath the new snow, the old surface was quite variable. On southerly slopes, a stout, thick melt freeze crust was nearly everywhere. As you moved to shadier aspects, wind scoured icy spots were intermixed with soft old snow from last week, along with the occasional breakable crust. No matter the aspect, the 3/25 crust is either at or just below the surface. This layer is burly, and often more than a foot thick. Even if there’s weaker snow underneath, it probably doesn’t matter at the moment. 

A fresh few inches of snow might improve travel conditions a bit, but not really fix the problem. Firm, irregular, and often unforgiving surfaces are common. Additionally, open creeks, random holes, frozen avalanche debris, and downed logs can make travel tricky. Sure, it’s the end of March, but travel more like it’s early season. Give yourself time to deal with all these hazards.

Regions covered