Avalanche forecast

Eastside Region

Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Start early, finish early. Plan to move away from avalanche terrain by the time wet surface snow becomes unsupportable. Rollerballs, wet, unconsolidated surface snow, and recent avalanche activity are warning signs to change aspects, or to be back at the car in flip-flops.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    After another poor overnight freeze, surface crusts will thaw quickly today. Clouds could cause increased wet snow instability on northerly aspects.

    Wet Loose avalanches start at a point and entrain more snow as they move downhill. Wet snow is heavy and can be difficult to escape from. With weaker layers in the snowpack getting wet, Wet Loose avalanches can be a trigger for larger slab avalanches that break into deeper, old snow. The best way to manage Wet Loose avalanches is to travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Time your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the heat of the day. Move to colder, shadier aspects before the snow surface turns slushy and unsupportable. Rollerballs and pinwheels are obvious warning signs of Wet Loose avalanches.

  • Cornices

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

    Give a wide berth to large cornices looming overhead or dangling underfoot. Poor overnight freezes and warm temperatures in the alpine have weakened their precarious hold on ridgelines underneath. Cornices can fail naturally or under your weight. It can be hard to tell how far back a cornice will break, and they often fall without warning. The best way to manage this hazard is to avoid traveling below large cornices, particularly as things warm up later in the day. 

    (4/10/2025)

    Parts of cornices are melting out in place. Other cornices still loom.

    Photo: Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Widespread Wet Loose avalanches sized 1 to 2 have run up and down the range during this week’s warm-up. Multiple days of near-record temperatures and another weak refreeze last night mean that wet instabilities will develop quickly this morning. If southwest winds increase this afternoon, we could see less thawing in the alpine.

Layers of weak snow buried below the surface have become wet as melt-water has started to drain deeper into the snowpack and pool around crusts. In isolated areas, where a large loose snow avalanche or a falling cornice overloads the slope, a much larger slab avalanche could occur. If you’re planning your day to avoid the more likely event of Wet Loose sluffs, you’re also avoiding the outside chance of a bigger Wet Slab avalanche. 

The sound of rockfall has echoed across some drainages as ice and snow melt. Chalk that up as another overhead hazard to factor into your plans.

Regions covered