Avalanche forecast

Bridgeport Avalanche Center

Bridgeport Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

New snow in the last 24 hours and increasing snowfall today makes triggering an avalanche possible. Pay close attention to areas that collect wind-driven snow in and above treeline terrain such as convexities, gullies, and slopes below ridges. Reducing exposure on the ascent while testing the snow along the way is a great way to check in on changing snow conditions.   

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Winds shifted to the Northeast on Saturday when the snow began to fall in the afternoon. Cold temperatures and light snow will allow for a high degree of variability in snowfall distribution across the range today. Pay close attention to areas where the snow has been piling up, especially near ridges, in gullies, and in cross-loaded terrain.  Even a small wind slab can knock you off your feet. The bed surface is icy and firm in most spots, which could make for a long fall or a runaway machine. Wind from the NE is expected to continue today and could strip Northeastern slopes and redeposit snow to the southwest on the compass rose, as shown above. Wind also can recirculate around terrain and load snow on all aspects of the compass rose. Local terrain assessment will be key today to avoiding the wind slab problem. 

Avalanche Discussion

Several weeks of dry weather intermixed with several wind events in January have created variable and hard surfaces across all aspects and elevations in the forecast zone. Looking into the snowpack, there are several layers of crusts with loose faceted snow in between the crusts. Sheltered Northerly terrain in the trees held soft snow with near-surface facets in the upper pack. New snow began to fall on Saturday. This snowfall entered the forecast area cold and had a low snow-to-water ratio. Overall, the distribution of new snow in our forecast region is highly variable. Southern Mono County is currently seeing more than Sonora Pass to the North. More snow is expected today, along with cold temperatures and NE wind. 

Loose Dry snow is also a concern today. Although not on the problem list, we could see new loose dry snow sluffing on steeper slopes. Where the wind doesn't knock down this light and dry recent snow, snow could be sluffing on the slick bed surface or on the softer near-surface faceted snow in sheltered terrain.  Our below treeline terrain has been very shallow creating tricky travel conditions in this elevation band. If the snowfall totals outperform the forecast we could see loose dry snow becoming an issue. 

Regions covered