Stevens Pass

Thursday should be a nice winter day with light snow fall. Light but increasing winds may drift a small amount of snow at upper elevations, so very small wind slab pockets may become possible. Steeper slopes may be challenging for travel with the firm crust beneath.

A few days of very light snow is starting to add up little by little. You'll find about 3-5" of newer snow in the mountains, with more snow the higher you go. If you find recent drifts 6" or deeper and bigger in area than a dinner table, be prepared to identify and avoid features of concern on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. These may form in the afternoon especially at upper elevations when the wind may increase a notch. Stay atuned to how snow surfaces change during the day, small wet loose slides could accompany rollerballs if the sun pops out. Any wet loose slides would be small, but they could run and entrain on the crust. 

Danger should increase a notch the next day with another bump in winds and a few more inches of new snow. Cooling temperatures should make for nice snow conditions.

Theres enough snow to soften up the hard crust in many places, but beware of steeper slopes and potential slide hazards. Other terrain hazards include open creeks and glide cracks to be mindful of. 

During a prolonged rain event in the last week of January, water transformed the snowpack. On Thursday, forecasters visited a profile study site near Skyline Lake before the snowpack had frozen. You can compare that weak, unfrozen snowpack with more recent observations. Information from upper elevations is still limited, and but its safe to assume more snow fell at higher, alpine locations where temperatures cooled quicker towards the tail end of the event.

If you make it out, please share what you found with an observation.