Avalanche forecast

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Cloudy weather and a cool breeze should help limit any wet snow concerns on Saturday and result in generally safe avalanche conditions. If you happen to find wet mushy snow on the surface, use a bit of caution. These conditions could result in isolated small loose wet slides.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    In general, we expect the snow to be capped by a punchy crust or a solid icy surface. Without the help of the sun, this firmer snow will struggle to weaken. This should prevent most wet avalanches. However, if the snow surface doesn’t freeze or if there’s more sunshine than expected, you could find a few areas of wet unstable snow. You’re most likely to encounter one of these pockets near rocky outcrops and on more southerly aspects where the sunshine and warm temperatures can have the greatest effect. These small avalanches are often slow and easy to predict, but they can still push you over a cliff or carry you down a chute.

    (4/12/2023)Rollerballs started with just a little sunshine. These are often the precursor to Loose Wet avalanches. Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Saturday will be a bit of a transition day for the mountains. An approaching storm will spread clouds and increasing winds across the zone, but there won’t be enough new precipitation to develop any real danger. As a result, we expect a generally stable snowpack with minimal avalanche concerns. However, you may encounter variable travel conditions with breakable crust, icy slopes, frozen debris, and pockets of dry snow. 

Besides the potential for loose wet slides, there are two other avalanche problems to consider. 

-If you travel near the tops of some of the higher peaks, you may find cold dry snow on shaded aspects. You could encounter isolated pockets of wind-loaded snow in these locations. Keep your eye out for firmer pillow-like drifts that might produce small slab avalanches. 

-Despite the date on the calendar, the snowpack at mid and upper elevations around the Pass has not fully transitioned to spring. In fact, below a stout upper crust (4/11) the snowpack is still very cold, dry, and layered. “Shed” style avalanche (glide, cornice, and wet slab) could still occur. While these seem very unlikely Saturday, it’s good practice to not linger in the runouts below large avalanche terrain. This is particularly true if you see looming cornices or crevasse-like glide cracks. 

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