Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

The cooling trend is slowly helping the snowpack gain strength. However, it still remains possible for you to trigger wet avalanches in places you find wet, sloppy snow. A few inches of new snow at upper elevations could create small isolated pockets of wind-drifted snow. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    The likelihood of triggering wet avalanches is decreasing with time, however, it remains possible in areas you find unsupportable wet snow. Give yourself options to exit wet slopes before it's too late. Keep your travel early or move to more shaded or lower-angle terrain. You could see cornice falls, glide avalanches, or large portions of snow falling off of rock features. Any of these could trigger more dangerous slab avalanches.

    The snowpack has been rapidly melting, and overnight freezes will be minimal. Our uncertainty is high. We don't know exactly how many avalanches will be large versus small. We also don't know if/where more dangerous wet slab avalanches will occur. 

    (3/16/2024)

    Debris from large wet avalanches that occurred 3/15-16.Chiwaukum Range, SW

    Photo: Stevens Pass Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Gradual cooling is slowly helping the snowpack stabilize. You may notice a few inches of new snow at upper elevations on Thursday. In these areas you may find fresh small, isolated wind slabs. These will likely remain small and be the size of a kitchen table, but worth keeping on your radar in more consequential terrain. 

Despite the recent warm temperatures, observers on Nason Ridge reported dry snow on northerly aspects at upper elevations. They also reported a solid re-freeze on more solar aspects. You can check out their full observation here. Another observer on Dirtyface Mountain in the neighboring East Central, reported a large whumph on an east aspect at 5700 ft on Wednesday, 3/19. In this location the snow was moist, but serves as a good reminder a weaker snowpack structure still exists just east of the pass. 

On 3/18, NWAC and Stevens Pass Patrol forecasters targeted sun-exposed terrain. They found meltwater pooling 2 feet (72cm) below the surface above the 2/24 crust. Wet avalanche activity was reported on a variety of aspects near Stevens Pass since 3/14, with some up to size D2 and occurring on northerly aspects and upper elevations. A large (D2) slab avalanche occurred on the 17th in Wenatchee Bowl, WNW, 5,550ft , and was about 2 feet deep. Observers reported a couple of deeper (D2.5), widely propagating slab avalanches that likely occurred on 3/15-16 in the Chiwaukum range. While the weak layer is unknown, it appeared to run in an older layer of snow. Observers suspect this avalanche could've been the result of a cornice fall. Observers outside of Stevens Pass resort boundary reported dry snow on north aspects, while on mid-elevation south aspects, meltwater has progressed from the upper foot of the snowpack on the 16th to 2 feet below the surface on the 18th.

 

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