Bollettino valanghe

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

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

If you're planning on heading to the hills to enjoy the hot and sunny weather, be prepared to manage wet avalanches. They could occur on any steep slope in the sun, regardless of aspect. Make travel plans that account for slopes above you and don't push snow onto other travelers below you.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

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

    It's going to be a scorcher of a day on Saturday, putting wet avalanches front and center as your main avalanche concern. The combination of April sunshine along with skyrocketing freezing levels means you could find these avalanches on any aspect except for the truly dark and shaded slopes at upper elevations. That also means our usual tip to avoid this problem by changing aspects may not be as applicable. Instead, you'll either need to seek out permanently shaded terrain or lower-angled slopes far from the runout of any potential avalanche. 

    Keep in mind that although you may be walking around in valley clouds or possibly traveling in a shaded chute, slopes far above you are likely basking in the sunshine. Make travel plans that account for overhead slopes, including cornices, and don't get caught by one of these slides near a terrain trap. Although they often start small, they can fan out and grow large as they descend, possibly even triggering slabs in the process.

    (4/3/2026)

    A natural wet loose avalanche near Snow Lake Divide originating in rocky terrain. Be aware of slopes above you at all times.

    Photo: Craig Muderlack

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The wind slab problem is now a few days old, and the warmth should help it heal quickly. But we may not be done with this problem quite yet. After several human-triggered wind slabs occurred on Friday, it's worth keeping them on your radar heading into the weekend, especially at upper elevations or in extreme terrain. 

    You're more likely to encounter one of these slabs on shaded or partially shaded slopes. The usual trigger locations, such as confined chutes or convex rollovers, still apply, so approach these features with caution. 

    (4/3/2026)

    There have been a lot of slab avalanches as a result of this week's storm. The human-triggered slab occurred on Friday, while the naturals likely failed on Thursday.

    Photo: Trevor Kostanich

Avalanche Discussion

Friday was an active day at Snoqualmie Pass. Multiple human-triggered wind slabs occurred in the morning hours before the clouds started to break up, and wet avalanches became the primary problem in the afternoon. Those roles will reverse on Saturday with lingering wind slabs possible at upper elevations and more wet loose on the docket. You should anticipate dodging natural wet slides as rocks heat up and shed their snow. And if you find yourself on a steep, sun-exposed slope, you'll likely be able to push a wet avalanche of your own. Be cognizant of terrain above you and whether people might be traveling below you. 

Most reported slab avalanches in the zone are suspected to have failed near the 4/1 interface. NWAC forecasters found this subtle layer about a foot below the surface in partially wind-loaded terrain on the North Slope of Chair Peak on Friday. They also observed numerous natural wind slab avalanches, likely from Thursday. Deeper in the snowpack, you'll encounter the 3/25 crust. This stout interface can be considered our new ground for the time being, and we expect all avalanche activity to occur above it. A skier-triggered avalanche in the Slot Couloir reportedly failed just above this interface on Friday, while NWAC forecasters found a second crust an inch above it on Chair Peak (the 3/29 interface). 

Unfortunately, there still isn't much snow at lower elevations, despite this week's storm. You will likely see wet avalanche activity in the lower elevation band, but the majority of it won't be large enough to reach the threshold to be called consequential avalanches. Instead, you'll need to continue to manage holes, creeks, bare ground, or shallowly buried hazards as you make your way into the mountains. These hazards will become more pronounced throughout our weekend of hot weather.

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