Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Strong sun and warm weather will create wet snow on sunny slopes today. This wet snow could flow downhill and gather enough snow to cause problems for people as it slides. Once you see or feel wet snow, it is time to move to slopes not steep enough for snow to slide downhill.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    More sunny warm weather today means wet loose avalanche activity will be possible as the day warms up. Widespread areas of wet snow will form on sunny E-SE-S-SW-W aspects where the most intense warming will occur. The sun will also climb high enough in the sky for some wet snow to form on sun-exposed NW-N-NE aspects. Avalanches of wet loose snow could entrain enough snow to bury or injure a person, especially on steep, open, sunny slopes. These avalanches gather more snow as they move downhill, so long steep slopes will produce larger wet loose avalanches. 

    Look for signs of wet snow as you travel. When you start to see rollerballs, pinwheels, or sticky wet snow, it is time to avoid steep slopes and move into lower-angle terrain.

Avalanche Discussion

  • Observers reported roller balls, pinwheels, and wet sticky snow across the forecast area yesterday. The largest wet snow instabilities occurred on sunny SE-S-SW facing slopes, but some smaller ones also occurred on NE and NW aspects. 
  • Cold snow still exists on shady due N facing slopes.  
  • Weak snow (facets) formed in the upper portion of the snowpack during the 38 day Jan/Feb dry spell on some wind-sheltered NW-N-NE aspects. It now exists under 6 to 12 inches of settled snow that fell during the recent storm. No avalanches have been reported on this weak layer, and most data indicates that it does not have enough load on top of it to cause avalanche problems currently.

Regions covered