Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Sunday’s warm temperatures could cause any leftover dry snow to become sticky and unstable. If you notice a wet snow surface or you see new rollerballs, you may be able to trigger small wet avalanches on nearby steep slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    The loose wet hazard could arise in several different ways on Sunday. Fortunately, the observations you need to make are the same. If you encounter wet sticky snow, see new rollerballs, or find fresh point release slides then start thinking about loose wet avalanches on similar slopes. That includes paying attention to the terrain above you for possible natural avalanches. While most of these slides should remain small, on longer slopes they could entrain enough wet snot to ruin your day. 

    What makes Sunday’s potential loose wet hazard unique is that it’s most likely to occur on shaded slopes at mid and upper elevations where dry soft snow still exists. Below about 4200ft and on sunnier aspects, a surface crust should help limit the effects of warm temperatures and sunshine on the snow surface.

    (2/11/2023)

    Rollerballs on steep sunny slopes at the Pass Saturday. These are a great indication the snow surface is becoming wet and unstable.

    Public Field Report: Source Lake

    Photo: Emily Murphy

Avalanche Discussion

Sunday’s hazard will be a bit of a battle between very warm temperatures and a surface crust, increasing clouds, and cooling winds. It’s entirely possible that the snow surface won’t become wet and unstable on any aspect, resulting in much lower danger. On the other hand, clouds and wind could be late to the party, and allow sunshine to work with those warm temperatures to produce a more widespread wet concern. Pay attention to the changing weather and the snow underneath you to figure out which way the battle is leaning. 

On Saturday observations from the Pass indicated lots of new rollerballs and even a few small loose wet slides. After two days of sunshine, it could be hard to tell which rollerballs/avalanches are new and which are older. Above 4500ft on shaded slopes cold dry snow was still reported. 

The upper snowpack seems to continue to heal after last week’s storm. Even though you can still find subtle inter-storm layers (2/9, 2/5, and 2/3), we haven’t heard of any avalanches on these interfaces in days. In general, reports indicate a right-side-up structure above the 2/3 interface.

Regions covered