Avalanche forecast

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Wet snow avalanches are concerning today as the snowpack continues adjusting to the warmest temperatures of the season. Minimize time spent under large, steep snow slopes and recognize the unpredictable nature of wet avalanches. Plan a route that minimizes your exposure to springtime mountain hazards like deep open holes in the snowpack, falling ice, and undermined snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

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

    What and where is it: Large wet slab avalanches are unlikely but not impossible as melt water continues moving through the snowpack. Multiple crust layers buried in the top 3 feet of the snowpack have allowed melt water to collect and weaken layers of snow deep below the surface. 

    How can you recognize it: Wet, soft snow at the surface is a sign of potentially unstable conditions deeper in the snowpack. Very warm temperatures, solar radiation, and melting snow in the terrain are all signs that water is moving down through the snowpack. 

    How can you manage it: Steep snow-covered slopes should be treated with caution today. Wet slabs can have limited warning signs about instabilities below the snow surface. Wet avalanches are challenging to forecast and difficult to manage, so consider keeping terrain choices simple and minimize time spent under large, steep slopes.

Avalanche Discussion

The snowpack is in a transitional period. The middle elevation snowpack has not had an opportunity to refreeze for over three days. The upper elevation snowpack has gone about 24-hours without refreezing. Temperatures today will climb again towards the 50 degree mark with significant solar radiation. This creates a lingering concern of large, unpredictable wet slab avalanches as liquid water continues to drain down through the snowpack, encountering old crust layers along the way. For additional detail about the current snowpack, read through this observation.Remember that wet slab avalanches are especially hard to predict and the newly wet snowpack after a long, cold winter deserves respect today as it continues to adjust to warm, wet weather. While wet slabs are the most serious concern, do not underestimate triggering a smaller, wet loose avalanche or large wet sluff of loose snow in steep terrain. While this is not likely to bury you, it may be heavy, powerful, and entrain a lot of snow on the way down. Very warm temperatures and melting snow have presented other mountain hazards that should be factored into your decision making and route planning. The chance for encountering falling ice, deep open holes, and undermined snow exists today. Brush up on your knowledge of springtime mountain hazards and how you could manage them.

OBSERVATIONS: Please consider submitting an observation on our website or in the new Avy phone app of what you are seeing in your travels. Submitting an observation hones your skills, informs other users, and improves our forecasts.

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