Snoqualmie Pass

A transition day in the weather should allow for generally safe avalanche conditions across the zone. However, you may still find a few isolated pockets of unstable snow in very steep, rocky, or unsupported terrain. These areas are unforgiving, and even a tiny avalanche could result in a rough ride.

A mostly cold and clear night should help any wet snow surfaces freeze into a new crust. So, while Friday may start with sunshine, it will have its work cut out to thaw the surface before clouds increase in the afternoon. More clouds and a cool SE breeze should help prevent any wet avalanche concerns. However, if you find wet sloppy snow, be careful. It could slide over cliffs or other unsupported terrain features. You’re most likely to find wet snow further east in the zone and at lower elevations. 

As winds shift more S-SE and increase, you could see a bit of blowing snow. After several days and a few wind events, it doesn’t seem like this blowing snow will result in many new wind slabs. Near some of the higher peaks and exposed ridges, you could see a few very shallow slabs not much bigger than a dining room table. While these don’t pose much risk, they could knock you over in very steep high consequence terrain. 

Over the past few days, the snowpack became aspect dependent. On southerly slopes, a new crust formed. In most places, this layer sounds thin (~2in thick) and breakable. In other spots, it could be thicker and stronger. On shaded slopes, all the recent snow settled into a generally right-side-up layer. 

Below all the recent snow (3-5ft down), older layers continue to linger in the snowpack. Facets were observed on or just above the prominent Early February Crust (EFC). We haven’t seen any recent avalanches on this layer at the Pass, but they have occurred in other zones (Stevens, East Central, and West South). Keep this problem in mind if you travel to more far-flung or shallower parts of the zone. 

As we turn our attention to the next storm, we begin to focus on the surface. On Thursday, wide spread surface hoar was noted in the morning, but it only survived the sun in shaded areas. If you see feather surface hoar, sugary facets, or icy crust, we want to know. Making these observations before the snow falls is key to understanding the next storm's avalanche issues.