Snoqualmie Pass

There isn't much avalanche potential in the mountains right now, but that doesn't mean avalanches can't happen. Until a firm crust forms in the upper snowpack, snow could shed off steep slopes, rocks, and corniced ridges. A few inches of new snow shouldn't be enough to create consequential slides.

Avalanche activity has been on a slow downtrend for several days as we distance ourselves from an atmospheric river and warm spring-like temperatures. We expect that trend to continue on Wednesday, allowing for generally safe avalanche conditions. That doesn't mean avalanches can't happen, however. On Tuesday morning, The Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol reported that a glide slope failed within the Alpental ski area overnight. This curveball from Mother Nature proves that isolated avalanche events can occur even as temperatures cool and precipitation stops. 

So if a rogue avalanche were to strike on Wednesday, where would it be? Based on recent history,  snow shedding from rocky ledges at lower and mid elevations, where the snowpack is warmer, wetter, and weaker, would be a good bet. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with new snow problems. Throughout much of the zone you'll likely find a crust either on the surface or below Tuesday's snowfall, which should help cap the size of any potential slide. If there are sun breaks, any new snow sitting above a crust could fail as a loose avalanche. In high alpine or extreme terrain, you may find a few small pockets of wind drifted snow. In either situation, we don't anticipate the size to be large enough to be called a consequential avalanche.