Avalanche forecast

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

New snow and wind may create small areas of unstable snow today. The most likely place where you could trigger a small avalanche is on steep east-facing and south-facing slopes between 3000 and 5000 feet in elevation. Watch out for wind-protected areas where the new snow is soft and where your boots sink past your ankles.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    You could find small areas of unstable snow today on east-facing and south-facing terrain between 3000 and 5000 feet in elevation in heavily wind-protected areas, like below cliffs and in narrow gullies. Where this new snow has collected, wind slabs are expected to be thin, well-bonded to the old snow surface, and firm. In many areas, evidence of new wind slabs may be hard to find. 

    Watch out for shooting cracks in the snow and areas where you are walking in new, soft snow that is more than ankle-deep. Assessing the sensitivity of any new wind slabs should be easy by digging a few inches down to the old snow surface.

Avalanche Discussion

Observers found good stability across avalanche terrain yesterday, with little evidence of any significant avalanche problem. This could change today with a little bit of incoming snow combined with northwest winds. New wind slab development is not expected to be large or particularly sensitive to triggering, however it could be possible to find areas of larger wind slabs if the snowfall totals exceed the upper end of the forecast. Expect to find a variety of snow surfaces today across Presidential Range avalanche terrain, which will likely be a mix of scoured snow surfaces, stiffer wind-textured snow, and areas of softer but small wind slabs. With blowing snow affecting visibility today, it might be hard to assess snow conditions from a distance. Pay attention as you are traveling to these differences in snow conditions and work to identify when the old, hard snow surface has changed into a new wind slab. 

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.

Regions covered