Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Snow surfaces may be firm on Sunday, but deeper down, the snow is still wet and unstable. It's unlikely, but slides could still happen in areas of deeper mushy snow or hanging snow in rocky terrain. These slides are hard to predict or assess, so limit your time traveling on or beneath large, steep, or rocky slopes holding snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    The snowpack has taken on large amounts of rain in the past week, and it's only been a day since it stopped. Wet slab and glide avalanches are not out of the question for Sunday. These avalanches could occur in steep hanging snow fields or rocky features where saturated snow could release unexpectedly. It's becoming more difficult to trigger these slides underfoot, but it's not a guarantee they won't happen. 

    Give the snowpack a little more time to firm up and adjust to all the rain. Limit your time traveling on or beneath steep slopes and rocky features. Smaller wet loose avalanches could also occur on sunny slopes late in the day. However, if a firm surface crust develops overnight, wet loose activity should be limited.

    (3/21/2026) Debris from a large wet avalanche on the Chair Peak apron. The gully to the climber's right of the apron was almost filled with debris.

    Photo: Aidan Crawford

Avalanche Discussion

Snoqualmie Pass had a glimpse of spring weather on Saturday. Light snowfall in the morning gave way to partly cloudy skies and moments of sunshine. Temperatures cooled off compared to the last week, and the surface snow finally had a chance to firm up. A light surface crust was reported in the Alpental Valley, but it wasn't fully supportable just yet. No fresh avalanche activity was reported. The most recent reported avalanche activity included a handful of large natural releases around the Bryant Couloir and across the Fan. On Saturday, observers in the area also identified an older crown high on Chair Peak.

Similar weather is on tap for Sunday, except for a bit more cloud cover. Depending on the cloud cover overnight, Snoqualmie Pass may not see as much radiative refreeze going into Sunday. That being said, surfaces will likely firm up to some extent by the early morning.

The recent rain has had serious impacts on the snow coverage and travel around Snoqualmie Pass. Once again, many creek crossings have collapsed, rocks have resurfaced, and general snow depth has dropped. If you haven't been out in the backcountry recently, plan on some time refamiliarizing yourself with the lower coverage.

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