Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago.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

Highlights

Another windy night and day should continue to maintain smaller pockets of drifted snow near ridges and along the base of cliffs. Use visual clues like textured surfaces and sharp drifts to anticipate wind-loaded areas. Don’t let one of these small slabs surprise you if you’re traveling above cliffs or rocks.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There continues to be just enough new snow and wind to build and maintain fresh wind slabs in some unusual locations. With more than 24hrs of E-SE winds, don’t fall into your normal travel patterns. Look for pillow-like drifts in couloirs, along the base of cliffs, and near cross-loaded features. You can look for sharp drifts, scoured slopes, and textured surfaces to help you anticipate local wind patterns and subsequently loaded features. Even though these avalanches should be relatively small, they could still hurt you if they carry you over a cliff or into rocks.

Avalanche Discussion

Wednesday should be our last quiet day before a major winter storm arrives. While you should see significant E-SE winds, minimal soft snow available for transport should limit the size and distribution of this problem. Observations from avalanche professionals in the zone Tuesday confirmed this. They noted blowing snow, reverse loading (from east winds), and generally thin wind slabs in exposed terrain features. 

Sunshine in the morning could cause steep southerly slopes to become a bit moist and sticky. However several factors (cool winds, a surface crust from Tuesday, increasing clouds, and minimal new snow) should keep loose wet avalanches from being a major issue. Instead, you could see a few piles of rollerballs. However, if you notice these slides entraining snow, make sure you don’t let one of these avalanches catch you off guard as you travel above creeks or cliffs. 

The recent weather made the snowpack around the Pass very elevationally dependent. Higher in the terrain, several rounds of winds from the W and the E significantly sculpted the snow surface. This includes scouring some slopes down to the very firm crust. In more sheltered areas, the upper snowpack consists of a few subtle layers, but in general, is right-side-up and well-settled. You’ll typically find 12-18 in (30-45 cm) of snow over the very easy to identify and prominent Christmas Crust. Below about 4500 ft, rain and wet heavy snow created variable conditions. You may encounter breakable crusts, punchy wet snow, and icy surfaces as you travel.

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