Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago.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

Highlights

“There’s a LOT of new snow out there,” continues to be the common theme from most observers. Even though the snow continues to settle and avalanches become more difficult to trigger, you may still encounter unstable pockets of wind-loaded snow below sharp cornices and near the base of cliffs.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    You’ll need to balance two different wind slab problems during your travels. Older larger wind slabs could still linger from this last storm. A blanket of soft likely hides this bigger and more dangerous version. Look for cornices and drifts to help you anticipate potentially wind-loaded slopes. You may find these lurking wind slabs on steep slopes near ridges, on exposed features, or under cliffs. 

    As the winds shift Friday, you may see new shallow slabs start to form. These smaller, but possibly easier to trigger, avalanches will be much simpler to identify. Look for blowing snow to help you figure out where this new problem might start to rear its head. Even though they should remain relatively small and thin, don’t let them knock you off your feet and take you for a ride in consequential terrain. You can avoid either of these wind slab issues by seeking out more wind-sheltered slopes. 

    (12/1/2022) Rime and wind drifts can help you anticipate wind loaded slopes. Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Friday should provide the mountains with a bit of a break in the weather and time for the snowpack to heal. This will allow the avalanche danger to continue to decline. Since Nov 29th, the Snoqualmie Pass area has received more than 30 inches of snow. This grew the snowpack by more than 20 inches and more than doubled the depth at Pass level. Not surprisingly, “it’s deep,” seems to be a common refrain. 

With so much new snow, don’t take the decreasing and “low” avalanche danger to mean there is “no” hazard. You may trigger small loose dry/sluffs on very steep slopes. Even these tiny slides could hurt you in high-consequence terrain. And, right now there may be more consequential terrain than normal. Even with the increase in snow depth, open creeks, holes around rocks, and plenty of small trees exist to make travel more difficult and dangerous. Keep your travel partners close, with all these early season and deep snow hazards. 

NWAC staff were out in the Alpental Valley Thursday. They report deep and difficult travel conditions. While their snowpack observations did indicate some layers within the new storm snow, these layers did not produce any significant results.

Regions covered