Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You're most likely to trigger an avalanche on sunny, middle and upper elevations, where continued warming has destabilized the surface snow. Larger, wet avalanches may also occur in steep, and rocky terrain, even from above you. If it starts to feel extra hot out, and snow begins to turn mushy and unsupportive underfoot, move to lower angle terrain. 

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

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

    As the day warms, all types of wet avalanches, including wet loose, wet slab, and glide, will be possible in Snoqualmie Pass. Over the past few days, numerous glide avalanches have released, and new glide cracks have formed. As the warm weather continues, more could still occur. Complicating matters is a strong temperature inversion. Lower elevations may refreeze overnight, while mid and upper elevations remain in the 40s to low 50s. This setup means the likelihood of triggering a wet avalanche will increase with elevation gain.

    Large wet avalanches such as glide, and wet slab are very tricky to predict. The best way to manage this hazard is to identify and avoid suspect terrain, such as steep, rocky, and unsupported slopes. As temperatures climb, choose simple, lower angle slopes for your travel.

    Loose wet avalanches have been prevalent over the last 72 hours, but activity may slow on Thursday. Many of these avalanches have been triggered from snow shedding of rocks, or even tree bombs, entraining large amounts of snow and running over a hundred feet. These slides are most likely on southerly slopes receiving direct sunlight. Once the surface snow feels heavy and mushy, move to lower angle terrain. 

    (1/14/2026) Large debris piles in the bowl to the E/SE of Chair Peak above Source Lake.

Avalanche Discussion

If you’ve been reading the forecast over the past few days, you may have noticed the primary problem has shifted from wet loose avalanches to glide avalanches. This does not mean wet loose avalanches are no longer a concern. On the contrary, as this very warm weather pattern continues, larger wet avalanches, such as glide and wet slab, are an increasing concern. Loose wet avalanches will still be possible, but may present less of a hazard on Thursday than in previous days.

Safe to say, It's feeling a lot more like spring than mid-January right now. Alpental summit recorded a low of 49°F overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. A temperature inversion kept low elevations much cooler. Multiple observations from the Alpental Valley echoed similar conditions: lower elevations stayed colder and firm, while mid and upper elevations were soft and mushy. A thick surface crust now exists in areas that were able to refreeze overnight, primarily at mid and lower elevations. One party visited Granite Mountain and found some recent collapsed cornices and one semi-recent wet avalanche on the northeast aspect of Defiance. Overall, minimal avalanche activity was reported on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, as warm weather persists, snow coverage will continue to decline. Many previously buried obstacles have re-emerged, creating more challenging travel conditions. Creek crossings are widening, logs are reappearing, and snow bridges have begun to collapse. If you're headed into backcountry, plan for some re-routing as the usual lines may be deteriorating. 

Regions covered