Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Where there is recent snow over a firm crust, expect the sunny, warm weather to turn this dry snow wet and sticky. You may see rollerballs and even a few natural avalanches. Steer clear of steep, sunny slopes, particularly in high consequence terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Thursday’s warming temperatures and sunshine could be a big change for any cold, dry surface snow. As it warms, expect it to become wet and sticky, and try to slide downhill. The big question is how much recent snow sits over the firm atmospheric river (AR) crust. This will be the limiting factor for the likelihood and size of any avalanches. 

    Fortunately, these slides should be easy to anticipate and avoid. Snow falling from trees and rock, rollerballs, and even tiny loose slides are great early indicators. You may trigger loose wet slides on similar slopes, and conditions could progress with natural avalanches releasing. 

    Mild temperatures and a few sunbreaks may have already started this process on more southerly slopes. Consequently, the more off-aspects (NE-E, W-NW) could be more hazardous. Wet snow might even reach all the way around the compass dial. 

    Even though these slides should be generally small, they may travel easily over the underlying crust and run far down the slope. Don’t let one carry you over a cliff or into a creek.

    (4/1/2025)

    A few large rollerballs even on these N facing slopes. These are often a precursor to wet loose slides. 

    Photo: Trevor Kostanich

Avalanche Discussion

After a week of mostly cloudy, cool, and showery conditions, more Spring-like weather is in store for Thursday. This will be the start of a longer, warm, and sunny stretch. As we enter this transition, we’re mostly worried about the recent snow over the AR crust. At middle and upper elevations, that could be 8-12 inches of snow in sheltered terrain. While this recent snow should be impacted first, lingering cornices and blocks of snow clinging to rocky faces could start to fall. The further we go in this warm period, the more likely these shed-o-lanches become. 

Ultimately, we’re still flying a little blind at the pass. What we know is that it snowed nearly every day this past week. The last significant accumulation was Monday night when 6-8 inches fell at 5400 ft. 

At lower elevations, the snowpack is going fast. Creeks are opening, bare ground is appearing, and tree debris is emerging. While this keeps the avalanche hazard lower, it doesn’t help travel conditions. This is particularly true on southerly aspects where the snowpack may be absent.

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