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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Highlights

The surface snow could destabilize and produce loose avalanches or rollerballs on sun-exposed slopes on Thursday. On shaded aspects, be leery of shallow slabs at upper elevations anywhere you notice wind-effect. Conditions are not overly scary out there, but even a small slide can be consequential when terrain traps are involved.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Rising freezing levels and bright sunshine could destabilize the new snow on Thursday. Since it's sitting on a crust, a good sliding surface is in place for shallow loose avalanches to fail on sun-exposed slopes. If you see new rollerballs, pinwheels, or fan-shaped avalanche debris, head to shadier aspects, keeping aware of what's above you. These slides may not be very large, but in the right terrain they could fan out and grow as they descend. Don't get tripped up by one near a terrain trap.

    (3/5/2025)

    Wet avalanche activity on a sun exposed slope. Many of these originated in steep rocky terrain.

    Photo: Shane Robinson

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    As you ascend in elevation, small slabs could exist in wind-exposed areas where more than a few inches of recent snow has fallen, Look for textured surfaces, new cornices, or pillow-like drifts near ridgelines or confined rocky chutes/gullies. If you suspect a slope is wind-loaded, avoid it.

    (3/5/2025)

    Natural slab crowns in complex, rocky terrain were observed on 3/5.. 

    Photo: Shane Robinson

Avalanche Discussion

We're returning to high and dry weather, with rising freezing levels and plenty of sunshine. It's March now, the days are longer and the sun is getting stronger, so we're in the bullseye for solar-induced avalanches. Thursday won't be like last week's warm-up that resulted in widespread large to very large avalanches, but there's enough new snow out there that you need to be on your toes and keep aware of what's above you while you travel. Upper elevations picked up around 7 inches, and the wind drifted it into a few deeper piles. Considerably less fell at lower elevations, but the new snow sits over a crust in all areas. Most avalanche activity should be confined to the snow above this crust. 

The only outlier could be a rogue deeper release due to wet snow. On Tuesday morning, The Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol reported that a glide slope failed within the Alpental ski area overnight. On Wednesday, they reported that water is still moving through the snowpack at lower elevations. It's been a few days since we've had a large unpredictable slide, but with the warm weather coming back and the upper snowpack melting, maybe keep it way in the back of your mind as you travel. It's doubtful one of these slides will occur.

Regions covered