Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Another day of hot sunny weather will maintain the potential for dangerous wet avalanches. Pay close attention to the slopes above you and limit any time you spend underneath steep rocky terrain. Some of these slides may start to gouge into older snow layers and become much larger.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    For the past two days, generally smaller wet loose avalanches slowly worked their way around the compass dial from southerly to northerly terrain. As we head into our third day of above-freezing temperatures, the scale could start to tip towards larger, nastier wet slides. 

    Cornices may collapse, blocks of snow shed from cliffs, wet loose slides gouge deeper into the snowpack, and unpredictable wet slabs may occur. If any of these start to happen, we’re shifting from the more manageable typical wet loose slides into a spring shed-style pattern. Sure, you could trigger an avalanche, but additionally, any time spent where slides run and stop can become a gamble. Think about the terrain above you and look for ways to reduce or totally eliminate traveling under large snow-covered and rocky slopes.

    (3/15/2024)

    Wet loose slides occurred on shaded northerly aspects Friday (3/15) as temperatures continued to climb. 

    Photo: Aaron Richards

Avalanche Discussion

This is the first major warmup of the spring, and it’s a doozy. Anticipating how the snowpack will react during these warmups is very tricky. However, there are a few points of certainty. 

  • It’s hot! Temperatures will generally remain above freezing for the next several days. 
  • Below the surface, the snowpack is cold. This is most pronounced on shaded aspects. 
  • Cornices loom along ridges and snow still clings to many rocky faces. 

Often we find that it’s the third warm day when the mountains really start to come apart. That could be Saturday, or it could hold off longer. It’s not out of the question for one of these avalanches to trigger a deeper slab, especially in large complex terrain. 

Clear skies overnight should allow a weak freeze at the surface. This will help keep avalanche concerns in check, but won’t last long. As soon as the sun comes out and temperatures rise, expect the danger to increase. 

On Friday, breezy conditions took the bite out of the warm temperatures. A few new wet loose slides occurred. Notably, several of these avalanches were on more northerly aspects. You could see similar conditions on Saturday. However, as the winds decrease, the full brunt of the warmup will be on display.

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