Snoqualmie Pass

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist at Snoqualmie Pass. Travel hazards will pose a much greater risk to your day in the mountains. But if you go looking for trouble in the higher elevations, you might find some lingering wet avalanche problems to deal with.

After a rainy and destructive week, Saturday was a very welcome, beautiful, and sunny day at Snoqualmie Pass. NWAC forecasters had good visibility into the mountains and took stock of where we stand at this point in the season. The main takeaway is that we have lost a lot of snow, but not all of it. On the eastern and western parts of the zone, not a snowflake can be found, even on the tops of the mountains. At the Pass proper, lower elevations are bare, meaning we aren't issuing an avalanche hazard rating. You'll need to reach roughly 5500 feet on some of the larger peaks to find enough snow coverage to play, and even then, it may be spotty. This is where you could encounter snow clinging to rocky faces that may shed without warning. 

Getting up high may be difficult, however. Access to the mountains has become complicated and potentially unsafe. Many roads and trails have flooded, and some have washed away completely. Mudslides, downed trees, and raging creeks are other obstacles you'll need to navigate. If you're heading out to play, take your time getting in and out of the mountains, and expect the hills to look wildly different from what you're used to this time of year. In fact, winter recreation is almost nonexistent at this point, but hiking may still be available for those with the proper footwear and good mountain sense. 

Unfortunately, the nice weather will be brief as we head back toward rain showers on Sunday, ahead of another atmospheric river on Monday. Although not as much water is predicted this time around, it should again rain to the top of our mountains. Any lingering snow should be well-suited to handle additional water at this point, but another round of flooding, mudslides, and washouts could occur. 

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.