Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 12 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The avalanche danger should remain LOW at all elevations and on all aspects today. Many of the northerly aspects should remain firm and frozen while other sun-exposed aspects should experience some surface softening. Continue to use normal caution when traveling in the backcountry.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Temperatures remained above freezing last night in most mid to upper elevation areas. Despite these warm temperatures, clear skies overnight should have allowed for a reasonable refreeze since the snowpack could radiate heat out into the night. Today's light to moderate winds should help keep the snow surface from melting too quickly, but the sunshine and warm temperatures will still provide enough warmth for soft and wet snow to form on the sun-exposed E-SE-S-SW-W aspects. Since the snowpack has already been through so many melt freeze cycles, and the sun still remains relatively low in the sky, the snowpack should remain supportable below the surface wet snow. Little to no wet snow instability is expected today. Shaded northerly aspects should remain frozen today.

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday on Mt. Judah in the Donner Summit area, 1-2 inches of soft corn snow existed above a supportable base of melt-freeze snow on sun-exposed E aspects by 11 am. Ski cuts and observations did not reveal any signs of wet snow instabilities on these sun-exposed aspects. On the more northerly aspects a firm, supportable melt-freeze crust existed above a strong and well bonded snowpack. Snow cover remains sparse below 7800 ft.

Regions covered