Central Sierra Nevada

Avalanches remain unlikely today, but the avalanche danger will increase tonight and tomorrow as a storm hits the area.

Keep practicing good travel techniques, such as carrying avalanche safety gear, only exposing one person at a time when traveling in steep terrain, and regrouping in safe zones. Expect variable snow conditions and plenty of obstacles when traveling in the backcountry today. 

Overall, the snowpack remains shallow and variable, with plenty of exposed rocks, bushes, trees, and open creeks. The southerly aspects hold firm, supportable crusts, and more breakable crusts exist on less sun-exposed slopes. A few pockets of soft snow may still linger on shady north aspects sheltered from the wind. Wind-scoured and sculpted surfaces exist on many slopes exposed to the wind. While significant snowmelt has occurred on the sunny southerly facing slopes, cooler aspects (NW-N-NE-E) still hold two to three feet of snow above 7500 ft. The deepest snowpack exists on the Sierra Crest in the northern part of the forecast area. The southern part of the Sierra Crest and the east side of the forecast area hold less snow. Some snow may blow around as the SW winds increase today, but it should not amount to much since very little soft snow remains available for transport. 

In many areas, weak layers have strengthened during the warm, dry weather, especially above 7500 ft along the northern part of the Sierra Crest, where a deeper snowpack exists.  Places that hold a shallower snowpack still harbor weaker snow. Observations have shown weak layers lurking on NW-N-NE and some E aspects above 8000 to 8500 feet in the eastern and southern parts of the forecast area. Weak snow also exists on some lower-elevation, cold, northerly aspects in the northern part of the forecast area. The weak layers include soft granular or feathery snow on or near the surface (near surface facets and surface hoar), weak snow near crusts in the snowpack (near crust facets), and sugary snow near the ground (basal facets). Tests and observations indicate that these layers have gone dormant and that this first storm may not add enough load to reawaken the buried weak layers. Still, they may become problematic if a large enough load eventually accumulates during the upcoming series of storms.

Before heading into the backcountry, research the current conditions and discuss them with your group. Make a plan that matches everyone's skills and goals with appropriate terrain and conditions. When you return, talk about what made the day more or less fun to improve future decisions and plans. Submitting observations as part of this debrief helps track the conditions and contributes to the avalanche forecast.