Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

If you're planning on taking advantage of a break in the rain to head to the mountains this weekend, expect to find a different landscape from what you've encountered in the past. Consider the recent weather and the dangers involved in reaching the snow. Once you've made it, limit your time spent traveling below slopes with snow clinging to rocky ledges.

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

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

    Wet avalanches are unpredictable and can occur long after the rain has stopped. This will be especially true since freezing levels are expected to skyrocket this weekend, keeping the snowpack warm and weak. So keep your guard up as you travel, looking for new avalanches or snow shedding from rocky ledges. Any slide that does occur may be large and consequential, and it will undoubtedly surprise you. 

    In isolated locations, you may see avalanches gouge down to or even fail at the ground. If you see any avalanches containing dirt or exposing bare ground, it's time to get out of the hills for the day.

    (3/2/2025)

    Example: Snow precariously hanging to a rocky ledge with a waterfall running down the middle.

    These are the types of slopes where blocks of snow could fall with no warning. 

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

The amount of rain that has fallen at Snoqualmie Pass over the past week is staggering. And as residents on both sides of the Pass know, that water has made it downstream and caused chaos and destruction in our communities. Making a trip to the mountains this weekend may not be in the cards for many people as they deal with the fallout from such devastating storms. But for those who wish to give it a try, new challenges await you.

Access to the mountains has become complicated and potentially unsafe. Many roads and trails have flooded, and some have washed away completely. Mudslides have occurred and are predicted to increase in likelihood in the coming days. Once you get to a trailhead, you'll need to reach roughly 5000 feet to find enough snow coverage to play, and even then, it may be spotty. Raging streams, exposed rocks and bushes, avalanche debris, and even landslide debris may make travel difficult. Take your time getting in and out of the mountains, and don't expect too much out of our early-season snowpack.

Speaking of the snowpack, we lack sufficient coverage at lower elevations to issue a hazard rating. Information is limited about middle and upper elevations, but the Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol reached the top of Alpental on Friday and sent along a few pictures and information. While snow coverage is better than expected, the report contained words like "drippy", "soggy", "punchy", and "rough". They noted that evidence of a natural avalanche cycle from this week was present, but visibility was abysmal. 

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

Regions covered