Lawinenlagebericht

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 4 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Large, naturally-occuring avalanches are possible today on steep, east-facing and south-facing slopes. Areas of wind drifted snow are likely to be sensitive to the weight of a person. Look for red flags as signs to avoid avalanche terrain. These include blowing snow, snowpack cracking, and collapsing under your feet.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2.5

    Large wind slabs on east-facing and south-facing terrain at middle and upper elevations will be sensitive to the weight of a person today and also have the potential to avalanche naturally. 

    8 inches of new snow in addition to several inches of old soft snow was available to be transported by increasing winds yesterday and through the night. It is likely that this combination of conditions has created slabs that are multiple feet thick, with a weak/upside down structure, and rest on a slick bed surface. 

    Identify wind slabs from a distance by looking for snow slopes that look smooth and rounded. Red flags that identify reactivity of this avalanche problem include recent avalanches, continued blowing snow, shooting cracks in the snowpack, and collapsing under your feet.

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday, wind speeds took longer than forecast to increase and began the transporting process of 8 inches of new snow and multiple inches of old snow from this past weekend’s storm. It is likely that the wind pattern yesterday had the ability to create sensitive wind slabs that have a strong-over-weak structure. Multiple density changes in the snow pack including a slick melt/freeze crust from several weeks ago mean there are multiple possible bed surfaces for new avalanche activity. 

With the summit still reporting blowing snow conditions this morning, it is likely that wind loading is still occurring at all elevations, allowing for the potential for avalanche terrain to have an avalanche, reload with additional snow, and avalanche again. 

Methodical, careful route planning is critical today if you must travel in and around avalanche terrain. The low season snowpack has allowed us to become familiar with smaller, shorter avalanche paths. This snow and wind event has the potential to change that. Just because a path was small yesterday, doesn’t mean it will have the same characteristic today. Give runout zones a wider margin today and be looking at this changing terrain with a critical eye for the next several days. 

The Lion Head Summer Trail is CLOSED due to increased avalanche hazard. The Lion Head Winter Route is OPEN and the most direct route to the Mount Washington Summit from Pinkham Notch. 

OBSERVATIONS: Please consider submitting an observation of what you are seeing in your travels. Submitting an observation hones your skills, informs other users, and improves our forecasts.

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