Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

You can trigger slab avalanches where the wind drifts the new snow at middle and upper elevations. You may see small wet avalanches as temperatures warm through the day. Expect another 3-5" of new snow by Wednesday afternoon.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Watch for triggering avalanches on the leeward sides of ridges at middle and upper elevations. Watch for signs such as active wind-transported snow, cracks shooting away from your feet, or feeling stiffer snow surfaces. Steer around drifts and stiff pillows of snow on slopes over 35 degrees.

    Westerly winds have been strong enough to form shallow drifts since Sunday. On Wednesday, winds will shift southerly and will be strong enough to drift the new snow at upper elevations.

    (1/19/2024)

    A skier breaks off a chunk of a freshly drifted slab. Skyline areas, ENE, 5,300ft

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Small wet avalanches will become easier to trigger in the afternoon as temperatures and snow levels rise. You can trigger avalanches on slopes where you find moist snow,  rollerballs, and natural wet avalanches. While wet slides are easy to predict, they can be forceful and push you into rocks and trees. Steer around steep convexities and move to lower-angle terrain to avoid triggering these slides.

    (3/24/2024)

    A wet loose avalanche on the Rooster Comb, adjacent to Stevens Pass ski area.

    NNE, 5,200ft

    Photo: Willie Webster

Avalanche Discussion

 Wednesday's avalanche danger will hinge on exactly how much snow falls and how it behaves. Keep an eye on these factors as you move through the mountains. You'll likely find moist snow, especially at lower elevations. In wind-exposed terrain at upper elevations, you may see wind transport and signs of drifting.

Stevens Pass Patrol reported 3-6" of snow on Tuesday, and they triggered both small wet avalanches and small pockets of wind-drifted slabs. On Sunday, observers reported shallow, wet loose avalanches up to size D1.5. Stevens Pass picked up 4-6" of snow, which was warm and moist on all aspects at middle and lower elevations.

Following an extended period of very warm temperatures in mid-March, the upper snowpack has gained strength and is still in the process of freezing. You can still find crowns, piles of debris, and frozen rollerballs on many steep slopes as a result of the March warm-up. On the 22nd, an NWAC forecaster on Skyline Ridge reported a supportable crust in open terrain. The crust was softer and more variable at the lowest elevations and in the trees. As the subsurface crust grows stronger, we have less concern about older, weak layers deep in the snowpack. At this point, an avalanche failing on or just above the early February crust would be very unlikely.

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