Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

A couple inches of snow and a small increase in wind may lead to an uptick in avalanche danger, especially at higher elevations where terrain is more exposed. Any avalanches that you could trigger in wind-drifted snow probably won't be large enough to bury you, but if you're in high-consequence terrain with cliffs, gullies, or trees below you, avoid steep, wind-drifted features. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    A couple inches of snow is forecasted for Thursday night, and wind is forecasted to be a little stronger than it has been, reaching moderate. Over 6 inches of low-density snow exists at upper elevations, and conditions have previously been calm. The added input of wind may redistribute snow into wind slabs that could react to a human trigger, especially at higher elevations where slopes are more exposed. 

    Search out textured snow surfaces as indicators that wind affected the snow. You may see actively blowing snow as well. Feel for thicker drifts. Any new deposits will could be around a foot thick. You can easily isolate columns with your hand to see if they slide easily on the underlying crust. If your weight causes long, shooting cracks, you can expect avalanches to occur on steep slopes. If you find wind slabs and identify instabilities, especially if you're near terrain traps, avoid slopes steeper than 35°. Even wind-affected snow will probably remain fairly low density, so any changes could be very subtle. 

    (3/20/2022)

    An example of small wind slab, beneath an exposed feature, similar to what you might see on Friday. 

    Photo: Ryan Minton

Avalanche Discussion

If the sun comes out, small wet loose slides could accompany rollerballs if the sun pops out. Any wet loose slides would be small, but they may run as deep as the crust. 

A few days of very light snow is starting to add up little by little. You'll find around 6 inches of snow at mid and upper elevations above the early February crust. Weak, faceted snow may exist above the crust. This may mean that when more snow is added on top, avalanches may be easier to trigger than expected. 

Lower elevations are crusty and have sparse snow cover. As you climb to mid-elevations you'll start finding a couple inches of snow coating the crust, which will increase to over 6 inches at upper elevations. You can expect to feel the crust beneath any newer snow sitting on top, so prepare for travel with potentially slippery surfaces. 

If you make it out, please share what you found with an observation.

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