Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Ongoing east wind will maintain dangerous conditions at upper elevations. Low elevations may be a mixed bag with a chance for moist snow, crusts, and even recent wind drifts. If you see signs of instability, fresh avalanches, snow that slides easily, or shooting cracks, sticking to slopes under 35 degrees. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Steer around wind-loaded pillows of snow and sculpted features on leeward slopes steeper than 35 degrees. Watch for indicators like active blowing snow, cracks that shoot through the snow, stiff feeling snow, and deeper drifted pillows. Avalanches will be easiest to trigger on steep, wind-loaded slopes at upper elevations.

    The east wind has already formed fresh slabs and will continue to blow on Saturday. Open slopes exposed to east wind will likely harbor some deeper drifted slabs. The east winds impact very particular slopes depending on how valleys channel the wind and the exposure of the slope. Stay observant as you move through terrain.

    (1/13/2024)

    Blowing snow in wind-exposed terrain at low elevations. Henry creek

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

On Friday, observers reported cracking in fresh wind slabs at low and middle elevations and some light rain in the afternoon. There's uncertainty about how moist surfaces may be at low elevations. You may find thin crusts in the morning or the surface may get more moist due to warming and sparse sun breaks. Either way, be on the lookout for moist snow surfaces and any chance for wet loose avalanches.

Stevens Pass picked up over a foot of new snow by the end of Wednesday with intense snowfall rates and periods of strong west wind. Observers reported numerous triggered and natural avalanches in the new snow. Recent observations indicate that the storm snow is now other than where the wind is now drifting it into fresh slabs. 

It's been over a week (Jan 11th) since some very large avalanches ran on deeper weak layers within the Solsitce crust sandwich.  Heavy snow on the 17th could have been enough to re-activate these deeper weak layers, especially in the eastern end of the zone. If you see evidence of any recent avalanches, please submit an observation. The Solstice crust is now at least 5 feet below the surface in much of the zone. The weak layers consist of faceted melt forms, and some snowpack tests have given sudden and propagating results.

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