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Out of date — this forecast expired 11 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The avalanche danger remains LOW on all aspects and elevations. Avalanches remain unlikely but not impossible. Some unstable snow could still exist on isolated terrain features due to the presence of lingering persistent weak layers. The shallow snowpack means that numerous rocks, stumps, logs and other hazards remain exposed or barely covered. 

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    While avalanche activity remains unlikely across the forecast area, potential weak layers still exist in the form of weak faceted snow in the bottom half of the snowpack on some NW-N-NE aspects. Snowpit tests continue to show unstable results associated with these layers in some isolated places. These layers could become more of an issue as more snow accumulates across the forecast area. Knowing where these layers exist now and how weak they currently are can help make more informed decisions when the snowpack becomes deeper. The numerous anchors like rocks, stumps, logs and other shallowly buried or still exposed obstacles that protrude through these layers have kept them from becoming continuous over large areas and have kept the pockets of instability small and isolated. These anchors also make hitting hard immovable objects while traveling through the snow likely in most areas.  

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday on Elephant's Hump in the Carson Pass area, snowpack depths ranged from 18 to 36 inches on most northerly aspects with less snow on the south and west aspects. Rocks, stumps, logs, and other obstacles still remain very close to the surface and easy to hit. Below the surface snowpit data showed a more consolidated and stronger snowpack than has been seen in some other areas around the region. A weak layer still existed at the bottom of the snowpack, but tests targeting this layer indicated that fracture propagation through this layer has become unlikely and that the snowpack continues to gain strength. Other data from Donner Summit and the Mt. Rose backcountry still shows signs of instability associated with similar layers in some areas. 

Regions covered