Bridgeport Avalanche Center

Triggering an avalanche is unlikely today. Firm and fast conditions are present in most of the forecast area, either from wind compacted snow or wind scoured surfaces. Take note of changing surface conditions as you travel through the terrain as a long sliding fall in consequential terrain may be the biggest hazard to navigate today.

After snowfall on Jan 3 and an impressive 100 MPH + wind event on Jan 6th &7th, our snowpack has settled into a combination of wind compressed snow or wind scoured surfaces. A patchwork of conditions exist in the terrain.  Visually inspect terrain before entering and be prepared to mitigate a long sliding fall if needed by having your sharps kit with you. Boot crampons, ski crampons, an ice axe, and or a whippet are all useful tools when we encounter mountain conditions that are firm and fast.  Finding an isolated pocket of unstable snow complex terrain is not impossible, even a small avalanche in steep, firm terrain could have big consequences. Overall, the likelihood of triggering an avalanche is low on a regional scale today.   

Historically, January can be a dry month for our region. Weather patterns off the Pacific coast can create a "blocking pattern" that doesn't allow moisture into our area. January 2025 is shaping up to be exactly that. After a brief storm on Jan 3 we have received no precipitation since then and the extended outlook has the potential for a small inside slider event to affect us next weekend. Other than that, we appear to be in the midst of a period of stagnet dry cold weather. What does that mean for the snowpack? Well with cold clear nights and no cloud cover this can create ideal conditions for faceting to occur in the snowpack. Potentially, surface snow or snow near a crust layer could metamorphize into faceted snow. This is something we forecasters will be tracking as the dry weather pattern continues.