Central Sierra Nevada

Lawinenprobleme

• 

  Loose Wet

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Hochgebirge
  • Waldgrenze
  • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze

  Wahrscheinlichkeit

  Possible

  Größe

  1–1.5

  Pay attention as wet snow develops today. Some places may have a short window of supportable melt-freeze conditions, and other may not. Clues like sinking into boot-top-deep wet snow, roller balls, and pinwheels can indicate that wet, loose avalanches may soon occur. Once the snow starts feeling wet, mushy, or unsupportable, it's time to move away from avalanche terrain. 

  The March heatwave continues with overnight temperatures well above freezing and daytime highs that feel more like late spring or early summer. Some cloud cover last night likely limited radiational cooling, making last night's refreeze weak at best. Some places may not have refrozen at all. Expect loose, unsupportable wet snow to form earlier today on many slopes. The surface wet snow deepens quickly during the day, and wet loose avalanches become possible, especially on sunny slopes.

  Most wet loose avalanches should remain small since repeated melt-freeze cycles and prior rain have transformed the snowpack into late-spring- or even summer-like snow and established effective water drainage channels in the snowpack. Still, an isolated, larger wet loose avalanche might be possible on a long, steep slope, where a small wet loose avalanche could entrain more snow as it slides downhill. Keep in mind that small avalanches can have increased consequences in exposed terrain.