Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

A surface crust will create lower danger in the morning. As it softens, you may trigger a small wet avalanche on slopes with more than 4 inches of wet snow. Pay attention to what’s above you. More unpredictable shed-style avalanches could occur during this period of hot weather.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    You’re dealing with two types of loose wet avalanches. You could trigger the smaller, more predictable version once the crust softens and the surface becomes wet and sticky. Monitor changing conditions with your boot. Once you find wet snow deeper than your ankle, seek out more frozen or lower-angled terrain. These avalanches could happen on any aspect as the warm temperatures and sunshine even reach the north side of the dial. 

    While much less likely, there’s a chance for larger natural wet loose slides. These would be most common near and below rocky faces on E-S-W aspects. Blobs of snow shedding from cliffs could entrain snow and grow large. Limit any time you spend under this terrain.

    (3/29/2024)

    Example Wet Loose slides from  layered over older, larger debris piles. 

    Photo: Caya Johnson

  • Glide Cracks

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    As we get deeper into this prolonged warm spell, shed-style avalanches like glide and cornice collapse become more of a concern. They can occur any time day or night and won’t give any warning. It’s all about managing your overhead hazard. Look for routes that minimize or even eliminate any time you spend under snow-covered rocks, looming cornices, or other very steep snow places.

    (1/29/2024)

    Example: Glide cracks in the Red/Kendall Basin. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Preliminary Report: NWAC is saddened to report an avalanche fatality as a result of a cornice fall on Mount St. Helens. On Friday, March 29, 2024, a snowboarder summited the peak. While standing near the top, he triggered a cornice and fell into the crater triggering a large slab avalanche on the slope below. NWAC is working with Skamania Co Sheriff’s office and SAR to compile a report. Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community.

Discussion:

The past few days have been warm, but we were able to cool off overnight. Sunday evening and Monday, the high pressure ridge will turn up the heat. Some areas may not dip below freezing. The snow surface should still cool and freeze, but it may be weaker and not last long through the day. Plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the 40s and even 50s, and generally light winds should allow the snowpack to warm and melt. 

It’s felt a lot like spring the past few days, but much of the snowpack at middle and upper elevations hasn’t fully transitioned from winter. That means there could still be plenty of surprises. Around the Cascades this weekend, numerous travels unintentionally triggered avalanches; a few were caught, some were buried, and one was killed. Just because the sun is out doesn’t mean it's safe. 

During this warm-up, we’re primarily worried about the snow over the 3/21 crust. You may not be able to identify this structure on more southerly slopes, but in shaded terrain, it’s often 1-2ft below the surface. 

Observations from Friday and Saturday indicated a fairly widespread wet loose avalanche cycle on E-S-W aspects. These slides were small (D1-1.5) and didn’t travel far downhill. A solid freeze and cooling winds resulted in less avalanche activity on Sunday. Cold dry snow was still reported on northerly aspects higher in the terrain.

Regions covered