Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

After last week’s torrential rain, the snowpack may not even notice this storm. However, it’s hard to ignore so much water falling in the mountains. Be leery of traveling on and under very steep and rocky slopes during this rainy weather.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    There are lots of versions of wet avalanches you could encounter on Tuesday. None of them seems particularly widespread, but they are all worth keeping an eye out for. 

    Near the rain line, several inches of wet, heavy snow could accumulate. Expect piles of rollerballs and maybe a few wet loose slides that may run far on the underlying crust. Most of these point release avalanches should be pretty tiny, but on a long, sustained slope, they could grow larger. 

    As the rain continues to pour, the firm old surface might start breaking down. There’s a chance you could trigger a sluggish pile of older snow on very steep slopes. These avalanches are less likely, but they could be hard to escape and may carry you over a cliff or into a creek. 

    Most of the snow shed from rocks and ridgelines last week. However, where a few blobs of snow still cling to craggy faces or the margins of old avalanches, this rain could bring them down. While these natural avalanches would be isolated, it wouldn’t take much of this dense snow to pack a huge punch. Pay attention to what’s above you and don’t linger under rocky faces, old avalanche crowns, looming cornices, or slopes with crevasse-like cracks.

    (3/23/2026)

    Blobs of snow like theses could still shed off rocky slopes during warm and rainy weather. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Not gonna lie, Tuesday’s weather doesn’t look pretty. Middle and upper elevations at the Pass could pick up a few inches of snow first thing in the morning, but warming temperatures should quickly push rain well above the tops of the highest peaks in the zone. 

With a significant amount of water in the forecast, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be some avalanche danger. However, most of what could slide released last week, and the snowpack is currently capped by a burly foot thick crust. Overall, we expect the snowpack to handle the rain very well. Don’t worry, cooling temperatures should return snow to the Pass Tuesday night into Wednesday. 

Last week’s rain and a warm spring weekend did a number on snow coverage. Lower elevations and southerly slopes are particularly grim. Expect extensive patches of bare ground, open creeks, random holes, and tons of downed debris. Even where snow exists, surfaces could be firm and irregular at the start of the day, and wet and punchy by the afternoon. Take your time. These travel challenges could be one of the greatest hazards you face during the day.

Regions covered