Bollettino valanghe

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
Vedi sulla mappa

Pericolo valanghe

Sat
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
Open full map
Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 4 years ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

With several inches of recent snow and a warm sunny day on tap Friday, you will probably see piles of rollerballs and a few natural loose avalanches. While most of these slides should stay small, in rare instances they may grow larger and involve deeper old wet snow. Don’t linger on or under steep rocky terrain where these bigger avalanches are most likely to occur.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Most of the loose wet avalanches you encounter on Friday will involve the shallow recent snow from Wednesday night. Sunshine should easily cause this snow to become wet and unstable on E-S-W aspect near and  above treeline where more snow accumulated. These point release avalanches should stay relatively small and not pose much risk to you as a traveler. However, if they begin to entrain older wet snow from below the surfaces, they’ve changed from small and manageable to large and deadly. This may occur in isolated spots like very steep and rocky terrain. Because of the unlikely risk of large wet slides, don’t linger on or under rocky complex areas.

    (3/3/2022)

    A large natural loose wet avalanche from Monday Feb 28th. This slide nearly crossed a very common exit trail from the Alpental Valley. 

    Photo: Alpental Ski Patrol

  • Glide Cracks

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

    The roar of the creeks and waterfalls around the Pass may tell you all you need to know. Water from this past week’s storm is still making its way through the landscape. That includes traveling along the ground at the base of the snowpack. Now that we’re several days out from the rain event, these slides are becoming less and less likely. However, with a warm sunny day instore, don’t fully write these avalanches off. You may see glide avalanches or blocks of snow shedding from cliffs. It will be nearly impossible to predict if or when these slides may occur, so limit the amount of time you spend below rocky slopes, especially if you see crevasse-like glide cracks.

    (1/9/2022)

    Example: A natural Glide avalanche occurred within the Alpental Ski Resort on the night of 1/7. This slide contained the entire season's snowpack as evident by the exposed rock.

    Photo: Alpental Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

As temperatures cooled, snow has finally returned to the Pass. Mid and upper elevations received 4-6” of snow Wednesday night. After a few final flurries, Thursday, our week's worth of active weather will finally come to a close. While you may find some clouds first thing in the morning, that should change, and the sun should come out creating a gorgeous day. 

Below the recent snow, the wet snowpack has only managed to form a thin and often breakable crust. Much of the snow hasn’t had the opportunity to freeze in earnest and remains relatively weak and unconsolidated. This isn’t likely to change until a cold clear night helps the wet snow freeze solid. The atmospheric river earlier this week brought an impressive 9.5” of precipitation to the Pass, more than 6” of that fell as rain all the way to the tops of most of the highest peaks. Unsurprisingly, a large natural avalanche cycle ensued. As you travel around, you can see crowns and debris piles on many slopes. While most of these slides were modest, a few very large (D2.5-3) avalanches occurred on Chair Peak, Cave Ridge, Red Mt, and the W Face of Kendall.  Several avalanches even crossed common travel routes. Check out our avalanche occurrence database to see some of the avalanches from this past week.

Now that the cycle has come to an end, we’re left with a wide variety of snow surfaces. You may find punch wet snow, bumpy rain runnels, breakable crust, and icy slopes. Additionally, creeks are open and running high and fast. While the new snow helped, travel conditions remain tricky.

Regioni coperte