Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

This week's storm snow could fail easily on a thick crust, particularly in wind-loaded terrain. Evaluate convex rollovers and rocky terrain carefully before committing to a slope. Even small avalanches can be consequential when terrain traps are involved.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Wednesday's storm dropped low-density snow on our mountains, which may have drifted into thicker slabs during the tail end of the workweek. Look for these at upper elevations or in extreme terrain, mainly on the shaded half of the dial. They may be easier to trigger on convex rollovers, unsupported slopes, or in rocky terrain, such as near the base of cliffs or in confined chutes. 

    With a generally thin snowpack this season, rocks are more prevalent. This increases the amount of terrain where slabs could exist or be easily triggered. Slabs could be in areas where you're not used to finding them. As you travel, look for visual clues and feel for changes in the snow's depth or stiffness to help you identify wind-loaded features to avoid.

    (3/27/2026)

    A skier triggered wind slab in the Alpental Valley on Friday. This one is on a steep, convex rollover near rocks. You can see active loading, textured surfaces, and a generally shallow snowpack in the surrounding terrain.

    Photo: Eddie Schoen

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    After two days of sunshine and now a cooling trend on the horizon, the threat of natural wet loose slides has lessened. However, if the sun is strong and the temps are warm, you may find that you can push moist snow on steep, sun-exposed slopes. Will the resulting pile be large enough to call a consequential avalanche? Not likely, but we'll allow that it could reach that threshold in isolated locations. 

    If you're sinking into moist snow deeper than your ankle, you might be able to trigger a small wet avalanche. Don't let one of these small slides push you into a terrain trap.

    (2/4/2026)

    Measuring how deep your boot sinks into the snow is a good way to track wet, weak snow on the surface. If you're deeper than your ankle, you can assume slides may be large enough to be consequential.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Wednesday night's storm resulted in roughly 4-6 inches of low-density snow at upper elevations throughout the zone. Since then, slopes that receive direct sunshine have warmed and produced wet loose activity, while shaded aspects have remained cold and dry. Bouts of wind in the last several days have redistributed the dry snow onto leeward slopes, creating a patchwork of firm surfaces, pockets of dry snow, or wind slabs. On Friday, skiers in the Alpental Valley found the sweet spot on the North Slope of Chair Peak and triggered a wind slab on a steep, convex slope. There are plenty of rocks in the area, and you can see in the pictures how the crown depth varies from very shallow to over a foot deep. 

This week's storm snow is sitting atop the 3/25 crust. This stout interface was formed by recent rain and is nearly a foot thick. Whether the snow is heating up and failing as a loose slide or has been drifted into a shallow slab by the wind, it could trigger easily or potentially run long distances on this crust. 

The new snow may have helped alleviate or temporarily mask some travel conditions. But open creeks and holes, frozen avalanche debris, down trees, slick crusts, and bare ground are commonplace right now, particularly at lower elevations or on southerly aspects. Give yourself extra time to manage these hazards.

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