Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Thursday will be the sunniest and warmest day of the week so far. Continue to be leery of steep slopes where moist snow is deeper than your ankle. That's where you're most likely to encounter a wet avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    The snow surface is expected to at least partially refreeze overnight into Thursday, possibly leading to short-lived stability in the morning hours. However, as increased sunshine and abnormally warm temperatures impact the zone, that crust may break down on slopes that receive direct sunshine.

    Continue to use the snow surface as a guide to identify areas where wet loose slides are possible. Look for moist snow deeper than your ankle and a slope angle steeper than roughly 35 degrees.

    With inversion conditions expected, slopes could be baking in the sun high above you, even if you're traveling in a cloud down in the valley. So use good travel techniques and don't turn off your avalanche brain. If you see new rollerballs, fresh fan-shaped avalanche debris, or snow shedding from rocky ledges, head for lower-angled slopes.

    (2/4/2026)

    Measuring how deep your boot sinks into the snow is a good way to track wet, weak snow on the surface. We mostly found boot penetration up to about our ankles (15cm) all day. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Temperatures soared to over 50 degrees at the top of Alpental on Wednesday afternoon! The heat wave is expected to continue on Thursday, with minimal high clouds compared to recent days. We may not go full bluebird, but it might be close. Low-level clouds could persist as inversion conditions develop. Any clouds will combine with gusty easterly winds to counter the warm temperatures and sunshine in a battle to determine whether the snow surface destabilizes.

If it happens, we anticipate all avalanche activity to occur above the January Drought Interface (JDI). NWAC forecasters found this burly crust below roughly 6 inches of moist snow at mid and upper elevations on Wednesday. That's not a lot of snow to work with, so the majority of avalanche activity should be relatively small. Similarly, there's not much snow left in the trees or clinging to the rocks, but whatever's out there will have a good chance of coming down in the heat.

However, there's a lot of uncertainty about what could happen when temperatures get this hot in February. While wet loose slides are the most likely scenario, upper elevations have been above freezing for several days now. It's times like these when we sometimes see rogue large to very large avalanches, such as glides, at Snoqualmie Pass. We're not saying it's going to happen on Thursday, the snowpack setup is a little different this year, but keep it in the back of your mind as you make your travel plans. Unusual weather, unusual season... maybe that leads to unusual avalanches.

As has been the case all year, travel hazards are prevailing. Holes, creeks, bushes, rocks, ice, and bare ground are commonplace throughout the mountains.

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