Lawinenlagebericht

Northern New Mexico

Taos Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
Open full map
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Kernpunkte

Dangerous avalanche are developing today on northerly, East, and some West-facing terrain.  New snowfall and extremely high blowdown-level winds will easily build out the slabs that sit on top of widespread facets and depth hoar, overstressing these weak layers.  Pay close attention to the obvious signs of this instability like cracking or audible collapses, but also be aware that remote triggering is a possibility with these kinds of conditions.  Smaller wind slabs will also be an issue on the leeward side of ridgelines and cross-loaded terrain features. 

Travel in the mountains during this weather event will be challenging and dangerous in it's own right.  It's in your best interest to stick to lower angle, low-elevation terrain or stay indoors today.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1.5–2

    Fresh slabs sit on top of incredibly weak facets and depth hoar that formed during multiple long drought periods.  These slabs are at least a foot deep in many places and will grow to be multiple feet thick today with new snowfall amounts potentially exceeding 6 inches paired with extreme winds.  Whether the slab breaks on February drought facets, facets below a crust, or depth hoar, the problem is the same and these persistent slab avalanches could break wide and far.  Potential avalanches of this nature will grow in size as you move up in elevation. 

    Look carefully for cracking and collapsing, as these are indications you've found this strong over weak snowpack structure and unstable snow.  Avoid traveling underneath steep slopes today as visibility will be challenging and natural avalanches are a possibility, as is remote triggering slides from a long distance away.

     

    Shooting cracks and audible collapses are indications that you've found this strong over weak snowpack structure. 

    (2/14/2026) Photo: Andy Bond

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    Fresh slabs of wind-drifted and compacted snow have formed on the surface on the leeward sides of ridgelines and other cross-loaded terrain features.  These slabs will continue to grow in thickness with snowfall and extreme, gusty winds on the table for today.  Visibility and travel will be very challenging in higher elevation terrain today, but your signs and symptoms of this problem are stiffening snow underfoot and round, pillowy shaped snow on the surface.  Any wind-slab avalanche triggered has the potential to step down into deeper weak layers, leading to a larger and more dangerous avalanche.

    Lots of snow transporting over a ridgeline during strong winds on Monday.

    (2/16/2026) Photo: Charlie Harrison

Avalanche Discussion

Today will be an extremely challenging and nasty day to the be in the mountains with extreme winds and blizzard-like conditions developing throughout the morning.  3-6 inches of snow are forecasted for the Northern Sangres today with locally higher amounts possible, creating lots of blowing snow and low visibility.  Blowdown potential, difficulty with balancing on two feet, and intense wind chills will further play into the picture of a day in the mountains with low margins.  It's a good day to stay indoors, as the notion of "sheltered areas" gets pretty diminished with weather like this.

Avalanche issues continue to intensify today as the new snow and wind transport continues to build out the slabs sitting on top of our incredibly weak snowpack.  Near and above treeline, the snow from Valentines Day has been blown around in the last few days, thickening to around a foot deep on many slopes.  These slabs will continue to grow and become more cohesive today, overwhelming weak near surface facets, facets below a crust, or potentially the depth hoar closer to the ground.  All of this weak snow is at play and easy to impact today with it being close to the surface, and you should be aware of the possibility for remote triggering if you're getting anywhere near avalanche terrain.  Wind slabs will also be forming easily at these higher elevations on leeward terrain, and they could release naturally with enough loading stress and/or cause step downs to deeper weak layers.

At higher elevations, a thicker and more cohesive slab had started to form on the surface yesterday.  These slabs rest on some very weak layers of facets and they will only get bigger and more reactive with today's snowfall and extreme winds.  This is a heavily wind-loaded spot, so in many places the depth hoar or other weak layers are even closer to the surface.(2/16/2026) Photo: Andy Bond

Below treeline, the story is a little bit different because we haven't been finding as cohesive of a slab develop from the Valentines Day snow.  However, today's storm will start to do that work and we expect to see this terrain become more dangerous as time goes on.  The snowpacks in these areas are just so thoroughly weak and cohesionless that as soon as the slabs become more cohesive, avalanches will become easy to trigger.

If you're heading into the mountains for any amount of time today, please do so with significant caution.  Blowdowns, minimal visibility, and dangerous avalanche conditions are all at play today, and it'll be difficult to manage them all together.  More snowfall and wind are expected over the next several days, with models showing close to a foot and a half of snow in totality through Saturday morning.  It'll be an exciting week and the avalanche danger will continue to become more serious.

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