Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 13 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avalanche danger remains LOW on snow covered NW-N-NE-E aspects. A few small areas of unstable snow may still exist on isolated terrain features. On SE-S-SW-W aspects a lack of snow makes the avalanche danger generally nonexistent.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    A shallow snowpack with buried persistent weak layers still exists on NW-N-NE aspects. At this time data and observations indicate that triggering an avalanche is unlikely. A few isolated pieces of data indicating instability still continue to crop up in day to day field observations. Finding some unstable snow in the form of a small persistent slab or small wind slab on an isolated terrain feature on a NW-N-NE aspect is not impossible. Continue to exercise caution and use safe travel practices if traveling in or below avalanche terrain in order to minimize risk.

Avalanche Discussion

Observations near Grouse Rocks yesterday showed similar conditions to those seen at other locations around the forecast area. On N-NE aspects a shallow snowpack consisting of weak sugary snow capped by the most recent snow exists. Most data has indicated that the weak sugary snow buried in the snowpack can support the small slabs that exist above it in some areas. In the areas where these small slabs do not exist, more weak snow sits above these buried weak layers. Yesterday in the near and above treeline areas some wind slabs did still remain on top of the snowpack. Most tests indicated that these slabs have settled and bonded to the snow below them and that they remain difficult to trigger. However a few isolated tests still indicated that fractures could travel through the snowpack just below the wind slabs. 

Regions covered