Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago.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

Highlights

Friday will be the warmest day of the week. Keep an eye out for wet avalanche activity anywhere you're sinking into moist snow deeper than your ankle. You don't want to get caught off guard by one of these small slides near a terrain trap.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Recent snowfall could destabilize in the sunshine and warm weather, resulting in small wet avalanches on steep, sun-exposed slopes. 

    Slides will be larger as you ascend in elevation, where more snow fell during Wednesday's storm. Elsewhere, you'll likely see wet loose activity such as rollerballing, pinwheeling, or very small fan-shaped slides on sunny slopes. Most of these won't be considered large enough to be called consequential avalanches. 

    Whether an actual avalanche or just some smaller version of a wet slide, don't get tripped up near terrain traps or in high-consequence terrain.

    (2/4/2026)

    Measuring how deep your boot sinks into the snow is a good way to track wet, weak snow on the surface. If you're deeper than your ankle, you can assume slides may be large enough to be consequential.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Wednesday night's storm resulted in roughly 4-6 inches of low-density snow at upper elevations, a bit more than we had anticipated. Observations are fairly limited, but the consensus is that there was just enough clouds and cool temps to combat the sunshine and keep wet avalanches at bay on Thursday. That may not be the case on Friday as the sun gets a boost from rising temperatures and less wind.

The new storm snow is sitting atop a very stout, thick crust. We are only concerned about slides above this interface. Whether the snow is heating up and failing as a loose slide or has been drifted into a shallow slab by the wind, it could run easily or potentially far distances on the underlying crust. 

The new snow may have helped alleviate or temporarily mask some travel conditions. But open creeks and holes, frozen avalanche debris, down trees, slick crusts, and bare ground are commonplace right now, particularly at lower elevations or on southerly aspects. Give yourself extra time to manage these hazards.

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