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Out of date — this forecast expired 12 years ago.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 remains LOW on all elevations and aspects. If any wet snow instabilities do form today, they should remain small and isolated. Continue to practice safe travel habits and thoughtful decision making when traveling in the backcountry.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Any wet snow that formed during the day yesterday should have refrozen last night due to clear night time skies and overnight temperatures below freezing. This strong overnight refreeze combined with light east winds, slightly cooler daytime highs, and a snowpack with well established drainage channels will make it difficult for the weak January sun to create enough wet snow for significant wet snow instabilities to form today. If any wet snow issues do arise today, they should remain small and isolated. Even though today's warming may not provide enough melting for significant wet snow instabilities to form, some soft wet surface snow should form on the sun-exposed SE-S-SW aspects. Northerly aspects should remain frozen and firm today.

    While avalanche activity will remain unlikely today, other hazards including icy conditions and a shallow snowpack with lots of obstacles remain.

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday snow surfaces around Yuba Pass remained frozen on the northerly aspects and on shaded slopes. By midday some softer corn snow did start to form on the SE-S-SW aspects that received direct sunshine. Wet surface snow up to 2 inches deep formed on some of these slopes by noon, but observations up to that point did not reveal any signs of wet snow instabilities. On the northerly aspects, a softer layer of snow does still exist under the thick strong rain/melt-freeze crust on the surface. Observations targeting this softer layer showed that it has become cohesive and seems to have bonded well to itself and the snow around it.  

Regions covered