Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Whether it’s a wind drifted pocket or loose snow slide, any avalanche you encounter should be fairly small. Pay attention to the consequences before committing to steep terrain. Don’t let one of these slides push you off a cliff or bury you in a deep gully.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There’s just not much new snow at the Pass. Consequently, the most likely place to find a slab avalanche of any size will be in areas where the wind managed to form a slightly deeper pocket. These will be most common in the higher terrain, along the base of cliffs, and in the tops of chutes. Alpental Ski Patrol triggered one such avalanche on Saturday in a permanently closed part of the resort. The slide was 8-12 inches deep and failed at the base of the new snow. So, while this problem may not be prevalent, these little wind loaded pockets are out there. 

    Watch for areas where the new snow is deeper than the surrounding areas. Often, you can feel this as you travel. Pay attention to what types of features and aspects hold the deeper snow. Be careful around these wind loaded areas, particularly above higher consequence terrain. Some of these slabs may have formed over weak sugary facets. If that’s the case, they may propagate wider than expected.

    (2/14/2026)

    An intentionally triggered slab that failed at the base of the new snow in an unskied portion of the ski area. NE, 5300ft. 

    Photo: Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

The cloud forecast is a bit tricky to pin down on Sunday for the Pass. Unexpected sunshine on Saturday resulted in several natural and triggered wet loose avalanches. Many of these slides crossed common travel routes. If the sun comes out again, it will now need to break down a new surface crust before wet loose avalanches become an issue. We think this will keep the wet loose problem at bay, unless the skies clear and the sun comes out in earnest. If you start to see new rollerballs or fresh point release slides, then expect wet loose avalanches in similar terrain. 

Reports from the Pass show about 3 inches of snow at 3000ft and 4-6 inches at 5500ft. Not exactly deep, but we’ll take it. This new snow buried the 2/13 interface. In some places, that could be surface hoar, facets, or a crust (on southerly aspects). It was pretty warm at the Pass on Friday. So, it’s unclear if or where these weak grains survived. There’s not enough new snow above them to pose much risk, at least not yet. In shaded terrain, a foot or more of soft snow now sits over the 2/7 crust. This widespread layer should be easy to find with your hand, probe, or pole. Even if they don’t fail on them, avalanches could travel easily on the 2/13 (southerlies) or 2/7 (northerlies) crusts.

The new snow certainly is a welcome sight. However, breakable crusts, slick surfaces, and thin coverage continue to make travel challenging. Plan extra time to deal with these potential hazards.

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