Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Avalanches in wind-drifted snow are the most likely problem to catch you off guard. Steer around steep terrain below corniced ridgelines or confined gullies, especially at upper elevations where avalanches could be larger. If you're under sunny skies, wet avalanches will be possible, so move off steep slopes if the snow feels wet and heavy. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    On Thursday, winds continued to drift snow and form fresh, shallow wind slabs. Larger wind slabs are more likely at upper elevations. The most probable places to trigger an avalanche are steep, lee slopes below ridgelines and confined gullies at mid and upper elevations.  A few inches of fresh snow could hide textured surfaces, so look for cornice formations and pillowlike drifts to point toward wind-affected terrain. You can also use your probe or pole to feel for stiffer snow layers over softer snow. Recent avalanches or cracking shooting from your equipment are signs to avoid steep terrain. Use small wind-affected test features to see how the snow reacts. Snow that fractures and slides easily means avalanches are more likely. Smaller storm slabs or loose snow avalanches are possible in sheltered terrain.

    You might encounter smaller storm slabs or loose avalanches in sheltered terrain. 

    (3/13/2025)

    An example of a small, inconsequential, wind-loaded test feature that produced cracking and a small avalanche. 

    Photo: Katie Warren

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    It won't take much time for the intense March sun to make wet avalanches possible on steep sunny slopes. Pay attention to overhead hazards from snow shedding off steep rocks and move to lower-angle terrain if you begin to see rollerballs or the snow feels wet and sticky. You might be more likely to trigger these avalanches where new snow rests over slick crusts. 

    There is some uncertainty with the cloud forecast, so if there are more clouds, wet loose avalanches are less likely. If it's a full bluebird day, expect more widespread and larger wet loose avalanches. 

    (12/23/2024)

    An example of a wet avalanche that started as steep rocks shed snow onto the slope below. 

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

Tuesday could be the sunniest day of the weak, with light to moderate winds. Ambient temperatures will be chilly, but the mid-March sun will feel warm if it makes a prolonged appearance. 

We are just coming out of a multiday storm period during which 2-3ft of snow accumulated with periods of strong winds. Over the past few days, NWAC forecasters and other observers reported reactive wind slabs failing on mid-storm interfaces. Dry loose avalanches were also common on shady slopes and small wet loose avalanches on sunny slopes. Lower elevations and steep southern slopes have a thin melt-freeze crust under a dusting of fresh snow. 

The snowpack underwent a major transition since the atmospheric river (AR) storm of February 21-25th. This AR crust is now buried 3-4ft deep above 5000ft. The upper snowpack has a few thin melt-freeze crusts from warm temperatures in early March. On Monday, I also found a few storm interfaces buried 1-2 feet deep that showed signs of instability in snowpack tests. Test slopes produced no results on these layers, but with significant recent snow, there is still potential for a rouge, large storm slab in isolated, large, unsupported terrain. If you use Tuesday's weather to step out into larger or more complex terrain, do so slowly and make frequent assessments before committing to consequential slopes. 

On high elevation, northerly aspects, there's a chance that you could find buried surface hoar, 2-3 feet below the surface. On the 10th, observers in the Foss River drainage reported triggering isolated avalanches, which are suspiciously indicative of this weak layer.

If you make it into the backcountry, please share with us what you find by submitting an observation HERE or on the Avy app. 

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