Avalanche forecast

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
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Highlights

You could trigger an avalanche in wind drifted snow on steep south-facing, east-facing and north-facing slopes above 3000 feet of elevation. Evaluate the snowpack carefully and travel on wind-scoured or wind-textured surfaces to help reduce your risk to this hazard.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    What and where is it: Wind slabs formed from the January 19th storm could be found on steep slopes above 3000 feet in elevation. Although most will likely be stubborn to triggers, some may be large enough to bury you. The most likely places to find soft, more sensitive wind slabs will be in wind sheltered areas that face south, east and north, like behind cliffs and below ridgelines, where snow has drifted rather than scoured. 

    Older, deeper wind slabs could be found in steep, isolated slopes above 3000 feet in elevation, that face east and south. These most likely will be stubborn to trigger, but have the potential to be large and could bury you or your partner.

    How can you recognize it: Pockets of drifted snow that look pillowy and smooth compared to wind textured snow around it, will be the best indicator. If you are finding softer snow or snow that sounds hollow under your feet, you have found the wind slab problem.

    Isolated, deeper wind slabs will be more challenging to identify and will require digging into the snowpack. Be suspicious of areas that appear planar and look for buried layers of soft snow sitting on top of much harder layers within the snowpack. 

    How can you manage it: Choose travel routes carefully and travel strategically to limit your chance of triggering or being caught in an avalanche. Traveling on a hard, textured snow surface can help to minimize exposure to the avalanche hazard. Consider the actions of other people above you and the potential consequences of triggering even a small avalanche with many exposed rocks, ice, and terrain traps below.

Avalanche Discussion

With another 24 hours of strong winds, the wind slabs in terrain today could be losing sensitivity. However, prolonged sub-zero temperatures, which impedes overall healing of the snowpack, may keep these slabs reactive to human triggers. The most likely place to find softer, more sensitive wind slabs, is still in isolated, sheltered areas in the terrain that didn’t get as much wind effect. With the shift from northwest to west winds yesterday, north-facing aspects could be harboring some newly formed, small, more sensitive wind slabs. 

Continued awareness of the old, hard-slab, deeper in the snowpack is still necessary. Observations (Obs 1, Obs 2, Obs 3) have shown a similar profile for a hard-over-weak structure in isolated south-east facing terrain. This problem will be difficult to identify and stubborn to react unless digging into the snowpack. If a newer wind slab releases, there is the possibility that it could trigger these deeper slabs and create a much larger avalanche. Use careful snowpack assessment and cautious route finding to help minimize your exposure to this hazard.

OBSERVATIONS: Please consider submitting an observation of what you are seeing in your travels. Submitting an observation hones your skills, informs other users, and improves our forecasts.

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