Central Sierra Nevada

Avalanches remain unlikely until the next storm arrives late tomorrow night. Early season conditions continue with a shallow, weakening snowpack throughout much of the forecast area.  Travel with caution in the backcountry to avoid hitting the many rocks, logs, and stumps showing through or barely hidden by the shallow snowpack.

Normal caution

The recent string of short warm days, low sun angles, and long cold nights have progressively weakened the snowpack in many areas, especially at treeline and below treeline on NW-N-NE-E-SE aspects. The week to week loss of strength in the snowpack has been measurable. While this is not an issue for avalanche stability today, problems are on the horizon. Adopt the mindset that for the upcoming storms forecast to start tomorrow night, the existing snowpack is in poor condition to handle substantial new snow loading in many areas.

Snow surface conditions are heavily wind damaged above treeline.  Fairly consistent, softer snow surface conditions exist where the weak snowpack is found on more shaded and wind protected near treeline and below treeline slopes.  A shallow snowpack 1 to 2 feet deep exists on most shaded northerly aspects with 1 foot or less on more sun exposed southerly aspects. Some thin and superficial melt-freeze surface crust has developed on a variety of aspects below about 7,500'.

There are a lot of obstacles that are on the snow surface or just slightly buried beneath the shallow snowpack. This includes rocks, bushes, logs, tree stumps, open water, dirt, etc.