Avalanche forecast

Taranaki

New Zealand Avalanche Advisory
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Avalanche danger

High Alpine · above 1,800 m
3 · Considerable
Alpine · 1,200 m–1,800 m
3 · Considerable
Sub Alpine · below 1,200 m
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 weeks ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Wet conditions are changing the risk of wet slab avalanches.

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • All elevations
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2

    A quick change in the weather sees us move mainly to a wet slab problem on the mountain as rain falls below 1600m. With the wet snow across the mountain, all aspects become a hazard, so caution is needed as most slopes will have poor cohesion due to water in the snow. We will see this condition over the next few days but should get an overnight freeze helping provide some strength but that will also mean a sliding risk in the early hours. Use care as we are in a period of changing snow conditions with this weather pattern.

Recent Avalanche Activity

No human-triggered or naturally triggered avalanches have been reported or observed over the past 24 hours.

Current Snowpack Conditions

50mm of rain overnight below 1600m has started to penetrate the snowpack, making it wet. Above 1600m it has fallen as wet snow with very little wind transport. Snow cohesion is lacking due to water in the snowpack and continued warm temperatures.

Mountain Weather

The freezing level is moving to around the 2000m mark and will hover around that for the next few days, with the lower temperatures overnight. Scattered rain for Sunday and Monday, falling as snow above 1800m.

Sliding Danger

Firm in the early hours of the morning after an overnight freeze

Forecast Confidence

Low

  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZ Mountain Safety Council)

Regions covered