Presidential Range

Refrozen and icy snow conditions, extreme winds, and limited new snow makes triggering an avalanche unlikely today. Mountaineering equipment and the skills to use them will be necessary for travel in steep, icy terrain with slide-for-life conditions.

Today we have not listed an avalanche problem and you are unlikely to find much soft snow in any exploration of steep terrain today due to high wind speeds. The rain and warm temperatures were followed by a prompt temperature drop, with elevations above 3000 ft recording sub zero F temperatures. This has resulted in a widespread icy and slick surface at all elevations. 

While the initial snow fell as temperatures were still warm and had the potential to either stick too or melt into the surface, temperatures plummeted quickly and as subsequent snow fell it was met by increasing west winds. In the last seven hours, winds have averaged 103 mph at the Mount Washington Summit, these extreme wind speeds are likely to be moving snow, but are unlikely to be productively building wind slabs.

It is possible that you could find thin, small wind slabs today in very sheltered areas, but with hours of raging winds these are going to be firm and stubborn. These slabs will be on a slick surface they may struggle to bond to, and a fall in steep terrain today may be difficult if not impossible to self arrest on a slick refrozen surface. It is also possible that it will be very difficult to find any new snow. Hermit Lake snowplot recorded trace amounts of new snow this morning. The snow plot is in a highly sheltered area and was selected to be protected by wind, but with extreme winds like today it is experiencing wind effects. 

Later this afternoon as winds begin to decrease, if there is any available snow left to transport there is the potential for slabs to build if winds are on the lower end of what is forecast. This remains unlikely as the high wind speeds in the morning will likely move all of the snow, but is something to keep in mind.

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.