Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 13 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Small pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger may exist on near and below treeline slopes steeper than 35 degrees that received rain last night and this morning. Daytime warming may also cause small shallow wet snow instabilities to form.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Rain on the snow in some areas, warm overnight temperatures, and cloudy skies last night should have prevented the snowpack from experiencing much of a refreeze. Warm weather and some sunshine today could allow wet snow to become more widespread. Some wet snow instabilities like roller balls, pinwheels, and wet point releases may continue today. Since the snowpack has undergone so many melt-freeze cycles, well established drainage channels that should prevent water from pooling in specific layers already exist. This drainage should prevent larger wet snow instabilities from forming. Even though these loose wet avalanches should remain small and shallow, they could still push a person into an area with other consequences or could become more serious in areas where terrain traps exist. Wet slab avalanches remain unlikely today; however, they are not impossible. In the unlikely event a wet slab did occur, it should also remain shallow and only involve the recent snow.

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday on Castle Peak ski cuts on sun-exposed SE-S-SW aspects did cause some small roller balls and pinwheels up to 1 ft in diameter. These instabilities only occurred where recent snow that had not transitioned to corn still remained. On slopes where the recent snow had melted or scoured away 1-3 inches of corn snow existed above a supportable melt-freeze layer. On the northerly aspects scoured surfaces existed in most places with some patches of wet sticky soft snow in wind sheltered areas. Below the surface the snowpack consisted of a mix of frozen crusts and moist snow layers (snowpit, more info).

Regions covered