Snoqualmie Pass

Thursday will be another day of generally safe avalanche conditions at Snoqualmie Pass. Snow flurries and slowly increasing winds during the day won't be enough to create consequential avalanches. You could still see some activity on specific terrain features, such as steep convex slopes or rocky outcrops. 

Observations from Wednesday indicate that the snow surface throughout much of the Snoqualmie Pass zone is moist. Avalanche professionals reported wet loose activity on steep sun-exposed slopes due to solar input during the morning. Snow fell from rocks and trees, resulting in rollerballs, pinwheels, and a few small natural avalanches. As temperatures slowly lower and wind increases on Thursday, the moist surface will likely stiffen up and create a new crust. This should help to keep wet loose activity and wind-transport to a minimum during the daylight hours. However, we can't rule out a few pockets of wind slab at upper elevations or fresh rollerballs and pinwheels.  We do not anticipate any avalanches large enough to be consequential. An uptick in hazard is expected Thursday night and Friday as winds ramp up and we get a quick shot of snowfall. 

Multiple observers have indicated that roughly 4-6 inches of snow rests over the Early February Crust. We are considering this stout crust as our new ground and are not currently concerned about any layers below it. However, we are still interested in cataloging avalanches that occurred on deeper layers due to the AR. If you come across large debris piles or crowns, send us a photo and tell us where you found them.  

Our recent atmospheric river event didn't just create our new ground; it also left us with difficult travel conditions. Open holes and creeks, firm crusts, exposed natural hazards such as rocks and logs, and refrozen avalanche debris now litter the landscape. Travel has been slowly improving throughout the week as each small storm wave rolls through, but we've got a ways to go. Give yourself some extra time to avoid these hazards, and be prepared with flexible travel plans in case your route is obscured.