Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 12 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The avalanche danger remains LOW on all elevations and aspects. Continue to practice safe travel habits and thoughtful decision making when traveling in the backcountry.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Even though the weak layer near the uppermost rain crust has started to gain strength and bond to itself and the layers around it in many areas, it does still exhibit weak layer characteristics in other areas. Currently this does not present much of an avalanche problem because finding a slab above this weak layer in an area where a person could trigger a slab avalanche remains very unlikely. This layer does warrant continued monitoring to see what it becomes before the weather decides to add new snow above it. Cloudy skies, strong winds, and slightly cooler daytime highs should all keep the other potential issue of wet snow instabilities from arising, and most snow surfaces should remain frozen today.

    While avalanche activity will remain unlikely today, other hazards including icy conditions and a shallow snowpack with lots of obstacles remain.

     

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday mostly cloudy skies in the northern part of the forecast area kept snow surfaces frozen on all aspects including those facing the southern half of the compass. Some small areas of softer snow did still linger in sheltered areas on Castle Peak and on Tamarack Peak. Looking to the south, more sun and clearer skies appeared to exist in the southern part of the forecast area. General observations and snowpit data from Castle Peak and Tamarack Peak did not reveal significant signs of instability. On Castle Peak the weak layer that was forming near the uppermost rain crust appears to be gaining strength. In the Tamarack Peak area, more well developed weaknesses existed in the snowpack, but tests still showed that without a slab on top of these layers avalanche activity remains unlikely.

Regions covered