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Out of date — this forecast expired 12 years ago.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

Avalanche danger remains LOW for all elevations and aspects. Small isolated areas of wet snow instability may form in response to daytime warming. Normal caution is advised.

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Again last night, air temperatures were well above freezing at the mid and upper elevations. A decent overnight snow surface refreeze is expected to have occurred due to radiational cooling under clear skies despite above freezing air temperatures. As daytime warming progresses, isolated areas of minor wet snow instability may form on a variety of aspects. Areas near exposed rocks that act as heat sinks and in gullies that focus parabolic reflection onto the snow surface will experience greater snow surface melting. These areas will also be the most likely places for a small human triggered wet snow instability to occur. On northerly aspects, slab avalanche activity remains unlikely today. Weak snow that exists near the snow surface in many areas generally lacks a sufficient overlying slab. Exercise normal caution and keep an eye out for potential isolated areas of localized instability.

Avalanche Discussion

Observations made yesterday on Red Vista Ridge (Carson Pass area) indicated that wet surface snow had formed in all areas of sun exposure. On shaded northerly aspects snow surface temperatures remained below freezing, but moisture in the upper snowpack increased. This caused the top 4 inches of the snowpack to become moist and heavy in many areas. Signs of wet snow instability were very isolated and limited to a single pair of skier triggered pinwheels on a heavily shaded N aspect at about 8,300' at 2:15pm. No other signs of wet snow instability were observed on surrounding above treeline peaks with full sun exposure. A report was received from Mt. Judah (Donner Summit area) where a party experienced a single isolated wet snow whumph while traversing out onto a SE aspect near large exposed rocks at mid day. No other signs of instability were observed by that party.

Regions covered