Snoqualmie Pass

On Tuesday, travel conditions will continue to be the main hazard in the mountains. Make plans that give you plenty of options to alter your route to avoid them. Take care when traveling in wind-drifted areas, especially if a slip and fall would result in a consequential ride. 

Monday's storm delivered a fair amount of wind but not much snow to Snoqualmie Pass. Showers should continue throughout the evening into Tuesday morning, delivering another inch or two before precipitation and winds taper. That could bring us to somewhere in the 4-5 inch range over the Early February Crust.  We don't expect that to be enough to reach the threshold for consequential avalanches on Tuesday.  That doesn't mean unstable snow doesn't exist in the mountains. You could find pockets of wind-drifted snow at upper elevations. If traveling in extreme terrain, don't get tripped up by one and go for a long ride. If the snow is deeper than expected, start thinking about small avalanches sliding on a slick crust.

We are not concerned about any layers below the Early February crust at this time. Although you may still be able to find the Solstice Crust and other interfaces, they should be sufficiently bridged for the time being. Time will tell if they wake up later this season. 

The most common observations from the zone continue to mention the challenging travel conditions created by last week's atmospheric river event. They run the gamut of punchy wet snow, breakable crust, firm and icy crusts, refrozen avalanche debris, open holes, gushing creeks, and large glide cracks. Give yourself extra time and bring the right tools to manage these conditions if you're out playing on Tuesday.

We're still interested in cataloging avalanches from that atmospheric river event. If you come across large debris piles or crowns, send us a photo and tell us where you found them.