Observation: NWAC Forecaster

All Observations

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
March 28, 2022
Submitted:
March 28, 2022
Observer:
NWAC Forecaster - Andy Harrington & Dallas Glass
Zone or Region:
Snoqualmie Pass
Location:
Snoqualmie Mountain to Avalanche Mountain, back via the Divide

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
Yes
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Media/Attachments

Piles of avalanche debris from multiple cycels over the past month in the Bryant Peak/Chair Peak area.
Avalanche debris piles above Source Lake in the Alpental Valley. Some of these piles are only a few days old.
Debris pile off the East shoulder of Chair Peak. These debris piles appear to only be a few days old and are from snow shedding from steep rocky terrain.
Sevreal large loose wet avalanches and cornice falls in the Thunder Creek drainage. Don't linger under overhead hazards like this during warm and/or sunny weather.
Large cornices still loom above many steep slopes around the Pass and may fall down during this spring transition.
Boot pen was anywhere from shin to knee deep.
Spring weather has exposed natural hazards at many elevations, particularly down low.
Glide type shedding avalanche activity was observed on multiple aspects and elevations.
Debris from a recent wet avalanche that gauged down into the wet and weak snow surface.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Mostly cloudy with periods of blue sky. Some warm temperatures but not as warm as recent days. Very little to no wind.

Avalanche Observations

 #  Date Location Size Type Bed Sfc Depth Trigger Photos Details
10 Mar 28, 2022
() 		Alpental Valley
S ft 		D1.5 N-Natural
Debris from a recent wet avalanche that gauged down into the wet and weak snow surface.
Piles of avalanche debris from multiple cycels over the past month in the Bryant Peak/Chair Peak area.
Avalanche debris piles above Source Lake in the Alpental Valley. Some of these piles are only a few days old.
Debris pile off the East shoulder of Chair Peak. These debris piles appear to only be a few days old and are from snow shedding from steep rocky terrain.
Sevreal large loose wet avalanches and cornice falls in the Thunder Creek drainage. Don't linger under overhead hazards like this during warm and/or sunny weather.
Large cornices still loom above many steep slopes around the Pass and may fall down during this spring transition.
Glide type shedding avalanche activity was observed on multiple aspects and elevations.
Report
Alpental Valley

Multiple recent wet avalanches up to size D2 were spotted during our travels today with most looking to be a few days old. We categorized them as a mix of wet loose, glide, and cornice failure, with many originating near steep rocky terrain. We also observed chunks of ice falling from cliffs during our time out this morning.

Some of the larger slides we noticed originiated from the Upper Chair Peak Basin, Great Wall of China/Bryant area, and near Snowlake Divide.

Snowpack Observations

Throughout our travels, snow was found to be in varying degrees of wetness, with punchy snow, breakable crust, and large meltforms. A weak overnight freeze was more pronounced in open areas compared to under tree cover, where no surface crust existed. By the time we were exiting the field, it appeared that the weak surface crust in open areas had broken down as well, but that could have been a function of our lower elevation. Despite all this wet and weak snow, we were unable to push much to cause an avalanche. But recent avalanches were obviously gauging down into older snow layers and there is a lot of snow available for entrainment right now.

Boot pen was anywhere from shin to knee-deep and the Early March Crust was around 60 cm below the surface. There are plenty of holes, cracks, streams, stumps, rocks, and other natural hazards emerging throughout the zone, particularly at lower elevations.

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