Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

With this ongoing warm and sunny weather, the chance for isolated large natural avalanches remains. Pay attention to the slopes above you, and don’t linger under steep rocky terrain especially where you see crevasse-like cracks.

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–3

    The warm and sunny weather just won’t let this avalanche problem go away. We continue to hear occasional reports of large natural glide avalanches around Snoqualmie Pass. Late Saturday afternoon, a slide occurred on the E face of Chair Peak that crossed a common travel route. What makes this avalanche problem tricky is predicting when these slides could occur. Glide avalanches can fail at any time of the day or night and may happen well after the warming event passed. Fortunately, these avalanches occur in very predictable terrain and give you a clear clue. Look for crevasse-like glide cracks to indicate which slopes should concern you. Then, choose routes that help minimize the amount of time you need to spend under these areas. While steep craggy alpine slopes may be the obvious place to find potential glide avalanches, don’t forget about the rocky road cuts above forest service roads and even groomed snowmachine and cross country trails.

    (1/23/2022)

    These two large avalanches occurred in the upper basin of Chair Peak on Saturday 1/22. The one on the right (glide avalanche) failed at 3pm and crossed the skin track. The second, left hand slide, occurred later that evening or overnight. The second avalanche may be a cornice fall. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

  • Loose Wet

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

    The calendar may say January, but it feels like spring in the mountains and we’re in an ongoing melt-freeze cycle. Expect a solid freeze due to clear skies and the help of a long mid-winter night. This will eliminate any chance for loose wet avalanches in the morning. As the surface softens, loose wet avalanches may become possible on some steep slopes sitting in the sun. Thinner spots in the snowpack near rocks and cliffs might speed up this process. Use your boot to see how much the snow surface has softened. When you sink in past your ankle, start anticipating loose wet slides. A stout upper snowpack should limit the size of any loose avalanche, but don’t let one of these small slides push you into a terrain trap like over a cliff or into a deep gully.

    (1/23/2022)

    Rollerballs and a small loose wet avalanche on a steep rocky and sunny slope on Chair Peak.  S aspect. 5300'. LW-N-D1-R1-S

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

We’re now deep into a prolonged warm period that began back on January 11th. The snowpack has seen extended periods of above freezing temperatures, several rounds of rain, and at least two wet avalanche cycles. That is helping to temper the impacts of this unseasonably hot weather. As a result, the upper snowpack consists of a very stout and thick (12”/30cm) crust over weaker and large-grained melt forms. If you poke into the snow, the blue coloring highlights just how much water continues to move through the snowpack. On Sunday, the surface softened on southerly aspects by mid-morning, and 1-2” of spring-like snow was found. On the steepest slopes, we were able to trigger small rollerballs but did not see any new loose wet avalanches. 

On more shaded slopes, you can still find 3-5” of drier recent snow from Jan 20 on the surface. At the highest elevations, this recent snow formed textured surfaces and very isolated wind drifted pockets. Even with the warm temperatures, slopes in the shade did not substantially soften. 

Regions covered