Bollettino valanghe

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Sat
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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In sintesi

Warm and sunny weather will continue on Friday as we prepare for a beautiful weekend in the mountains. With the nice weather comes the threat of low-likelihood avalanches involving snow shedding from rocky ledges. Make travel plans that limit your exposure to overhead hazards and give you plenty of time to navigate creeks, holes, and crusty surfaces.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Glide Cracks

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Unlikely
    Dimensione
    1.5–2.5

    Unusual weather can result in unusual avalanches. Although unlikely, be on the lookout for blobs of snow falling from rocky ledges or sagging cornices failing and triggering slides on the slopes below. It's been a few days since our last reported Glide activity in the zone. However, in other parts of the region, activity has been slowly increasing. Does this mean it's going to happen at Snoqualmie Pass on Friday? Not necessarily, but there's still enough snow clinging to the rocks, and the weather is warm enough that we can't reasonably deem conditions generally safe, particularly when we're talking about natural avalanches large enough to have serious consequences - regardless of how unlikely they are. 

    So make travel plans that limit the amount of time you spend below precariously hanging blocks of snow, especially if they're on sun-exposed slopes.

    (1/13/2026)

    Glide avalanche activity at Alpental on 1/13. Multiple glide slopes released, leaving large and scary debris piles on the slopes below. 

    Photo: Summit at Snoqualmie Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

We're anticipating unseasonably warm and sunny weather over the next several days, with temperatures expected to soar into the 50s. On Friday, easterly winds should start to ramp up slightly, possibly bringing some low-level clouds at pass level. But don't worry, the higher peaks should be out in the glorious sunshine. 

This week's warm-up comes on the heels of an atmospheric river event that brought roughly 2 inches of rain to Snoqualmie Pass on the tail end of last weekend, kicking off a wet avalanche cycle. Reported avalanche activity has been declining for a day or two now, but since temperatures have remained elevated, the threat of unpredictable wet slides persists.

The threat may not be evident when you step out of your car. Clear winter nights have provided sufficient radiational cooling to form a firm surface crust, creating slick and potentially dangerous travel conditions in the morning hours. On slopes that receive direct sunshine, this surface crust has softened or even broken down in some places during the late morning to early afternoon hours. Many locations remained firm throughout the day. Expect similar conditions on Friday, except that those easterly winds may help keep the surface cooler (and firmer) for longer.

Although the weather may seem springlike, the snowpack largely is not. Underneath the freeze/thaw surface, a more winterlike snowpack still exists, but is not expected to produce avalanches at this time. Overall, snowpack depth has decreased over the past week due to the rain and sunshine. Compared to the 30-year average, we're currently just shy of 50% of normal in our zone. That has resulted in natural hazards persisting longer into this winter than usual. Holes, open creeks, rocks, or logs may add extra time to your travels.

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