Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Warm weather on Sunday could cause snow surfaces to become wet and sticky, especially on steep southerly slopes. You might even cause a small wet avalanche. Additionally, variable conditions and early-season obstacles will make even simple travel rugged.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    You probably won’t encounter wet problems everywhere on Sunday, but with continued warm weather, more sunshine, and less wind, they should be on your mind. The most likely places to encounter wet, unstable snow will be rocky slopes receiving direct sunshine at middle and upper elevations.

    Wherever you find punchy wet snow deeper than your ankle, you might trigger a wet loose slide. Take the time to step off your board, machine, or snowshoes and see how deep your foot sinks. These push-o-lanches shouldn’t grow very large but could drag you with them over rocks or into creeks. 

    The other potential wet issue will come from blobs of snow shedding from rocky faces. As conditions get warmer, these blocks of snow could fail without warning. Don’t linger under cliffs still holding snow patches.

    (3/24/2022)

    Take a moment to step off your mode of travel to see how deeply you are plunging into the snow. If you are sinking in past your ankle, start to think about wet avalanches. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Upper elevations around the Pass have been above freezing for a few days. As temperatures rise another notch on Sunday, we likely won’t reach any sort of breaking point. However, these should be the most hazardous conditions since the last storm.

A long mid-winter night with clear skies will allow any wet surfaces to freeze despite warmer temperatures. How thick a crust forms could depend on your aspect and elevation. Any crust will need to break down before wet hazards develop later in the day. 

We’ve heard a lot of adjectives used to describe travel conditions at the Pass this week. Let’s just stick to “variable.” Firm icy surfaces, breakable crust, wet snow, frozen tracks, old avalanche debris, and irregular rain runnels are some of the potential conditions. Add to that a plethora of early-season obstacles (flowing creeks, open holes, downed logs, shrubs, trees, rocks…) and you have the makings of potentially nasty travel. It’s not all doom and gloom. Softer snow has been reported on smooth well-packed trails and higher elevation shaded aspects.

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