Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avalanche danger is Low in the morning while the surface crust is still frozen and supportable, but will increase with daytime warming. Start early, and be ready to move away from steep slopes once snow becomes wet and punchy, or unsupportable. Expect an increase in loose wet avalanches, and snow shedding from steep rocks in the afternoon.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet loose avalanches should be expected over the next few days. Avalanche danger should be Low first thing in the morning, but may quickly rise with direct sun and daytime warming. Start early, and stay on colder slopes in an attempt to 'beat the heat', but pay attention to wet, gloppy snow, snow falling out of trees, rollerballs, and loose wet avalanches.

    Loose wet avalanches could become large in larger terrain features at mid and upper elevations. These slides may also become larger if they gouge into deeper, recent storm layers...but we're not sure if or when that's going to start happening. Even a small wet loose avalanche could be consequential if it knocks you off your feet and carries you into trees, rocks, over cliffs, or buries you in confined terrain.

    There's also potential for wet slabs this weekend. These are most likely on steep, rocky and unsupported slopes that receive direct sun, and could be triggered by rollers or loose wet sluffs. The best advice is to move off of steep slopes before the snowpack becomes punchy and unsupportable. 

    Small loose wet avalanches. Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Saturday should be one of the warmest, sunniest days in the past week. We're in the middle of a gradual warming trend following a couple weeks of below normal temperatures and snowy weather in April. This alone is reason enough to be cautious in the mountains this weekend. Observers reported rollerballing and small wet loose avalanches on Friday.

One to three inches of new snow fell by Thursday morning. Before that, on Tuesday, 6-10" of new snow fell, and quickly became moist near and below treeline. Observers reported that avalanches were easy to trigger during the day, and some ran naturally. Observers also triggered small slab avalanches on leeward slopes beneath wind drifted features that day. 

Regions covered