Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

Highlights

Avalanche potential will increase throughout the day as the snow piles up and temperatures rise. Make travel plans that give you plenty of options to adapt to the weather and changing snow conditions. Slides may have a new crust to run far and fast on. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    We’re expected to switch back to snow on Wednesday at the Pass (mostly). As it accumulates throughout the day, you may need to manage some small slabs on convex features or in wind-loaded terrain. There could be a nice new crust from Tuesday’s soggy weather for the snow to slide on. So, take a minute to check the bond by using quick handpits or test slopes. At the highest elevations, you may find Tuesday’s warmup didn’t affect the surface. If so, there will be more dry snow to evaluate for potential points of failure.

    (1/22/2024)

    A skier triggered storm slab avalanche on a convex slope. Multiple parties reported similar avalanches, even in forested terrain.

    Photo: William Sirski

  • Loose Wet

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

    You may need to manage some lingering wet issues on Wednesday morning. Temperatures are expected to rise slightly throughout the day, possibly switching precipitation over to rain for a period of time. This would potentially kick off a new round of wet avalanches. These slides often start at a point and can grow large or trigger slabs as they descend. A newly forming crust on Tuesday night may mean they have a nice sliding surface on Wednesday.

    (1/23/2024)

    Natural avalanches coming out of steep rocky terrain on Kendall Peak during a period of warm and wet weather.

    Photo: Kevin Trippe

Avalanche Discussion

Warm weather finally overtook the Pass on Tuesday, and a wet avalanche cycle followed. Alpental Pro Patrol reported multiple wet loose avalanches and a few slabs during their mitigation efforts. Backcountry skiers on Kendall Peak observed natural wet slides shedding from rocky terrain. No releases on our deeper layers of concern were reported.

We still have our eyes on the Solstice Crust and a few other interfaces in the upper snowpack (1/8 and 1/16). Our last suspected avalanche on the Solstice Crust was on January 10th, and the last suspected activity on the 1/16 was on January 20th. 

On Monday, small storm slabs failed easily as high precipitation rates impacted the zone. Most failed at the 1/20 interface, where a freezing rain crust exists at mid to upper elevations. On Wednesday morning, a new rain crust will likely have formed overnight and become buried during the day - creating the 1/24 interface. You should focus the majority of your observations at this point in the snowpack. If you don’t find a newly formed crust, go deeper to the 1/20.

Regions covered