Stevens Pass

While avalanches will continue to be unlikely for Sunday, expect an increase in danger by Monday morning. Incoming snow will land on a variety of potentially weak surfaces. Consider challenging travel and the consequences of an uncontrolled fall on icy snow surfaces. 

With no official avalanche problems and avalanches unlikely, the biggest hazards may be those inherent to mountain travel. A slip on steep, icy slopes could turn into an uncontrolled fall. You can prevent this by planning your route and anticipating places in the terrain that could be an issue. You can also bring equipment like crampons or ski crampons to provide traction.

Expect light precipitation Saturday night through Sunday. This shouldn't increase Sunday's avalanche danger unless snow amounts far exceed the forecast. By Monday morning snow accumulations and wind drifts may be deep enough for a big jump in the avalanche danger. The new snow may break easily on old, weak surfaces.

Observers have been reporting a range of snow surfaces, some that could be weak layers for the incoming snow. Check out many photos below and recent observations. The general pattern is that open, northwest through northeast slopes are holding either near-surface facets or in some locations surface hoar. Initial tracking of surface hoar shows it could exist below 4500ft, though there's uncertainty with exact locations. It was reported in the Jim Hill and Yodelin areas on Friday and Saturday. Some sun-exposed SE-SW slopes hold surfaces that could also produce a poor bond with new snow.  On Saturday in the Stevens Pass sidecountry, I found well-developed near-surface facets on a north aspect at 5180ft. I also found a thin layer of surprisingly weak, tho frozen, melt forms above a very stout crust on a steep southeast aspect at 5550ft. Under dense forest canopy, surfaces are typically rough, and often very firm. You can let us know what you see by submitting an observation.