Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago.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

Highlights

Winds will drift soft snow into stiff slabs and continue to put stress on our weak snowpack. You could trigger avalanches on any steep slopes, but on wind-drifted slopes, avalanches could be much larger and break across terrain features. Avoid steep slopes with deep drifts and take a step back to lower-angle terrain to avoid avalanches. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    7-10" of snow fell over weak faceted snow and buried surface hoar. Moderate to strong winds will put additional strain on these weak layers as large wind slabs form on lee aspects below ridgelines. We expect particularly dangerous conditions at upper elevations in more exposed terrain.  In these wind-loaded areas, avalanches may break widely across terrain features or be triggered remotely. You'll want to steer clear of steep lee slopes near ridgelines, where these avalanches are likely to be much larger. On sheltered slopes, these avalanches may act more like your average storm slab, but they may be reactive for longer than you expect.

    Long shooting cracks, whumping collapses, or natural avalanches are key indicators of dangerous avalanche conditions. Small, steep test slopes or convex features can help gauge the reactivity of the upper snowpack. But given snowpack variability, be cautious about extrapolating your results too broadly.  Instead, seek out low-angle terrain protected from the wind while we attempt to reduce uncertainty around these tricky, persistent weak layers.

    (2/21/2026)

    An unintentionally triggered, widely propagating avalanche from 2/21. N, 5500ft.  Its unconfirmed, but this slide may have failed on older persistent grains. 

    Photo: NWAC

Avalanche Discussion

Blustery winds with minimal precipitation will be the story on Wednesday. Temperatures may warm slightly more than Tuesday, but the bulk of the warming holds off for another day or so. 

The 2/13 interface is now buried 8-15" deep, and the 2/8 crust is down 15-20". Avalanche activity on Monday suggests that southern aspects may be more reactive than northern aspects. But the weak structure exists on all aspects around the compass.  Over the past few days, there have been widespread reports of avalanches failing within weak snow over the 2/8 crust. In most areas, these avalanches have been small, and there were no reports of widely propagating slides. That said, many observers, including NWAC forecasters, are experiencing loud collapses, a serious indicator of unstable snow. In the Lichtenberg area on Tuesday, an NWAC forecaster also reported moist snow below 4500ft and a thin crust that formed and was quickly buried by fresh snow. Consistent with previous observations, snowpack tests are inconclusive, but the snowpack is very weak. This creates a lot of uncertainty and is a strong reason to focus on maintaining a conservative mindset and enjoying the return to winter on lower-angle slopes. 

 About 10-14" below the surface, you'll find a more stout, thicker crust that resulted from warm temperatures and rain in late January and early February. Upper elevations will likely have a greater separation between crusts, with potentially more weak snow between them. But we have limited information from upper elevations, above 6,000ft. If you travel there, we'd love to have your observations!

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