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Out of date — this forecast expired 12 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avalanche danger remains LOW for all elevations and aspects. Small isolated areas of wet snow instability may form in response to daytime warming. Normal caution is advised.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    A decent snow surface refreeze is expected to have occurred last night with air temperatures near to below freezing in most areas. Wet surface snow will develop today in response to daytime warming, with the greatest amounts on SE-S-SW aspects. In areas where significant cloud cover holds through the morning hours, melt will occur more slowly. In areas where the snowpack is shallow around exposed rocks and bushes, full depth wet snow may occur. Free water drainage is well established in the areas where the greatest amount of wet snow will form. Areas of wet snow instability are expected to remain small and isolated. Human triggered roller balls, pinwheels, or a small loose wet snow sluff are possible today, but larger wet snow avalanches are not expected.

Avalanche Discussion

Recent observations from around the forecast area have shown well established melt freeze conditions on SE-S-SW aspects. Superficial melt freeze conditions exist on NW-N-NE aspects with E and W aspects somewhere in between. In areas where only the top few inches of the snowpack have undergone melt-freeze, the layers of the mid and basal portion of the snowpack are well bonded. In some locations on higher elevation shaded northerly aspects, near crust facets remain, but are not a problem at this time. On southerly aspects that have undergone significant melt in recent weeks, free water drainage from the snowpack is well established.

Regions covered