Avalanche forecast

Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

New snow and wind have increased the avalanche danger. You could trigger an avalanche on wind loaded aspects near and above the treeline today. Look for where wind is depositing new snow and watch for shooting cracks. Keeping your slope angle low in these wind loaded areas will increase your margin of safety.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    New snow and moderate southwest to northwest wind has created a wind slab problem on leeward aspects near and above the treeline. You will most likely find them on northeast, east and southeast aspects, though they may be on north, south, and southwest aspects, too. It is unlikely that we'll see any natural wind slab avalanches today, but you could trigger one with your sled, board, or skis. The majority of avalanches are expected to be small, that is small enough to bury you, but enough to sweep you off your feet into hazardous terrain. With that being said, there is still a possibility of triggering a large avalanche that could bury you.

    The wind works in weird ways and may be loading snow into areas not expected. Inspect all steep slopes for wind-drifted snow and be on the lookout for shooting cracks, especially near cliffs and gullies. 

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday afternoon we lost communication with all of our weather stations across the forecast area. What this means is that we lack real-time data for temperatures, snow accumulations, wind speeds/directions. This introduces an increased level of uncertainty for today's avalanche forecast, as we cannot verify exactly how much snow and wind we received from last night's storm. Luckily, we can rely on the National Weather Service, who provides a free and accurate weather forecast for the Mount Shasta area. Today, we will work on getting our telemetry network back online and get out in the field to fill in the blanks.

You'll notice we've removed the wet loose avalanche problem from the forecast. After nearly a week of warm and sunny weather, the mountains have finally returned to sub-freezing temperatures. This is resulting in near elimination of wet loose snow instabilities because of the snowpack refreezing.

Regions covered