Avalanche forecast

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avalanche conditions are dangerous. In steep terrain on all aspects, you’re likely to trigger an avalanche in new, soft snow. Naturally occurring avalanches are possible. Watch for long, shooting cracks in the snow under your feet and soft snow that wants to slide easily on the hard snow surface below. Use careful route finding and conservative decision making to mitigate the risk of being caught in an avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    What and where is it:About 12 inches of new light-density snow, with additional snowfall throughout the day, is widespread across the terrain. Slabs of new snow may be very sensitive to your weight, could avalanche naturally, and be large enough to bury you. On north and west-facing slopes, especially near the ridgelines, storm slabs may be thicker and more cohesive. This means you’re more likely to trigger a wider, larger avalanche from light amounts of snow transport and wind effect.

    On east and south-facing slopes, slabs of new snow may be less cohesive, but still propagate and slide easily on the hard snow buried below. Underneath the new snow, there is an unlikely chance you could find a harder, older wind slab from wind-drifted snow over the past 3 days. This area concern exists mostly between 3000 and 5000 feet on east-facing and north-facing slopes.

    How can you recognize it: A consistent blanket of new storm snow will be easy to find today. Look out for natural avalanche activity, shooting cracks in the snow under your feet, and areas of soft snow with a stiffer, cohesive snow surface as clear signs of dangerous conditions. How can you manage it: Take the time to carefully plan routes that mitigate your exposure to large, steep, and open snow slopes and be conservative in your decision making. Dig down into the snow to assess the sensitivity and potential size of a storm slab. Understand that people in the terrain above you could pose a significant risk if they trigger an avalanche.

Avalanche Discussion

New, light-density snow has blanketed steep avalanche terrain today. Finding new, deep, soft snow will be the common denominator today, but expect to find nuances in the character of that snow depending on your elevation, aspect, and location in the terrain.With a prevailing southeasterly wind, soft slabs have the potential to be thicker and more reactive (dangerous) on north and west-facing slopes throughout the day. These areas could see more widespread propagation within the new snow with a higher sensitivity.East-facing and south-facing slopes are unlikely to have had additional wind-drifting overnight, but could still be very sensitive to your weight and have the ability to propagate across large areas. Large sluffs of loose snow that are big enough to sweep you off your feet and potentially bury a person are a likely scenario throughout the day. This evening, expect shifting and increasing winds to build large, dangerous windslabs on east-facing and south-facing aspects. If you are in the backcountry when snow starts being easily and quickly moved by the wind, conditions are becoming significantly more dangerous.Remember that the older wind slab problem that was forecasted yesterday still exists underneath the new snow. While it is unlikely to trigger a deeper, harder layer of older snow, it is not out of the question and could compound the destructive potential of a storm slab avalanche today.OBSERVATIONS: Please consider submitting an observation on our website or in the new Avy phone app 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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