Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Update: Downgraded the avalanche danger at upper elevations and removed the storm slab problem to reflect the warmer temperatures from last night. The most dangerous conditions will be down low, where rain and warm temperatures maintain wet punchy snow. Since most potential avalanches should be small, pay attention to the consequences of each slope. Even tiny slides can hurt you if they push you off a cliff or into a creek.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Be on the lookout for wet loose avalanches near and below the rain-snow line. Where you find new sticky snow on the surface, you may easily trigger piles of rollerballs and very small wet loose slides that only involve the top few inches. These avalanches should be easy to manage unless you’re in cliffy terrain.  As temperatures fall through the day, this problem will decrease. 

    At slightly lower elevations, you might find older wet snow that you may sink into well past your knees. While it’s harder to get this snow moving, if it does, it will likely carry you wherever it goes. Be very leery of deep wet snow along steep creek banks and above open holes in the snow. 

    Other wet “shed-style” avalanches could still occur, particularly at lower elevations. Pay attention to what’s above you. Limit any time you spend below rocky faces that still hold blobs of snow. They could fall with little or no warning.

    (3/22/2024)

    This very small wet loose slide only involved the top few inches of snow. Sometimes we call these "push-o-lanches"

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Southerly flow with this storm doesn’t really favor the Pass. Any new snow that falls on Saturday should bond well to the old surface. Cooling temperatures and minimal wind should limit any hazard from the new snow to it simply slipping off the underlying crust. 

We’re at the end of a prolonged warm spell. Hot temperatures last weekend resulted in a modest but widespread wet loose avalanche cycle. You’ll find piles of debris and rollerballs on and below many slopes regardless of aspect and elevation. The hot sunny weather took its toll on the snowpack, particularly at lower elevations and on southerly slopes. Expect open holes, exposed obstacles, patches of bare ground, and flowing creeks. Similarly, forest debris covers the surfaces. It’s starting to look more like late spring than the date on the calendar might suggest. 

Recent avalanche activity at the Pass over the last few days has mostly been small glide avalanches on steep rocky faces. Alpental Patrol reported two more that occurred Thursday night. These slides could continue even as we begin to cool.

Regions covered