Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Additional new snow overnight and continuing today along with strong winds will create slabs of wind blown snow.  These wind slabs will exist in open areas, near ridges, and in gully features where wind blown snow has accumulated.  There may also be instabilities in the new storm snow, which could cause sluffing in steeper terrain.  Look for and avoid areas where you see signs of unstable snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Increasing SW winds along with continued snowfall will create larger wind slabs in the backcountry today.  These wind slabs will exist in near and above treeline areas on NW-N-NE-E-SE aspects and could be multiple feet deep.  The largest wind slabs will form in areas that received more recent storm snow and have larger amounts of snow available for wind transport.   Large fragile cornices may exist above many of the slopes where these wind slabs have formed.

    Look for blowing snow, newly formed cornices, wind drifts, and wind scoured snow surfaces as clues to where these wind slabs may have formed.  Use wide safety margins to avoid areas near and below steep wind loaded slopes.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    Dry loose avalanches could be a concern today in near and below treeline terrain in wind protected areas.  Additional new storm snow overnight with forecasted snow today may not bond well to the recent storm snow.  Areas that received the higher end of snow totals could have larger dry loose sluffing occurring today.  Recent storm snow may still have issues bonding to the firm old snow surface crust.  Convective snow showers today could rapidly load the upper snowpack causing storm snow instabilities to occur.

    Dry loose sluffing could entrain more snow on steeper and longer slopes.  Even a small sluff could knock a person over or have increased consequences if above rocks, cliffs, or terrain traps. 

Regions covered