Avalanche forecast

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Refrozen and icy snow conditions make avalanches unlikely. Mountaineering equipment and skills are required to safely travel in steep terrain and help prevent a dangerous sliding fall. Late tonight, watch out for areas of wind drifted snow where a small avalanche could occur.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Late tonight, new snow and wind have the opportunity to create new wind slabs on east-facing and south-facing slopes. Depending on snow totals, new slabs may be thin or not exist. If higher accumulations are seen, slabs may grow to 12 inches in depth and could be reactive to the weight of a person in some areas. Watch for soft snow drifts and blowing snow to identify this new hazard. Traveling on hard, textured snow surfaces will avoid this avalanche problem.

Avalanche Discussion

After a night of wet snow and rain on March 31/April 1, summit temperatures plummeted into the single digits F, creating a refrozen and icy snow surface. This snowpack is generally stable, even with poor structure in some areas in the top 1 - 2 feet of snow. Warming temperatures today are not expected to change snowpack stability. 

As a fast moving system approaches tonight, new wind slabs may or may not have the opportunity to form, based on the snow totals. If the higher accumulations of 3 inches are seen, expect to find new wind slabs tonight. If little or no snow accumulates, expect to find very thin slabs, or no slabs at all. 

 

The Lion Head Summer Trail is CLOSED due to increased avalanche hazard. The Lion Head Winter Route is OPEN and the most direct route to the Mount Washington Summit from Pinkham Notch. 

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