Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 8 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

LOW avalanche danger exists for all elevations today. While some difficult (but not impossible) to trigger wind slabs may still lurk in isolated near and above treeline terrain, human-triggered avalanches should remain unlikely in most places today.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Even though avalanches are unlikely, they are not impossible. Some wind slabs could still lurk on isolated terrain features in wind-exposed near and above treeline terrain. Despite the strong west winds today, new wind slab formation should remain limited due to the lack of snow available for transport. These strong and shifting winds have left a variety of surfaces on wind-exposed slopes ranging from firm icy crusts to firm hollow-sounding wind slabs to uneven wind-sculpted surfaces.

    Use signs of wind-loading and wind-scouring to help identify the places where an isolated area of unstable snow could still linger as well as where firm "difficult to recreate on" snow conditions may exist. Creating safety margins that account for these conditions could help find the softer snow in sheltered areas and avoid any unwanted surprises on exposed terrain. Continue to maintain awareness of the conditions and terrain and manage your group by using good travel techniques while moving through the backcountry.

Avalanche Discussion

* Observations yesterday from Stevens Peak, Tinkers Knob, and Andesite Ridge all found significant signs of previous wind transport in exposed near and above treeline terrain but few, if any, signs of continued wind transport. 

* On Andesite Peak and on Stevens Peak, some small firm wind slabs resting on top of softer weak snow lingered on westerly aspects. 

* In sheltered near and below treeline areas on Stevens Peak and in the Cabin Creek area, several inches of weak, soft, unconsolidated snow existed on the snow surface on northerly aspects.

* Some weak snow layers existed in the upper third of the snowpack in all of these locations yesterday. Monitoring these weaknesses will continue as they represent a potential problem during future loading events.

Regions covered