Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 6 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Exposed and barely covered obstacles abound in the backcountry due to the shallow early season snow conditions. These obstacles combined with the variable snow surfaces can lead to "interesting" (an optimistic word for challenging) backcountry travel conditions. Travel using normal caution. The avalanche danger remains LOW at all elevations. 

Avalanche problems

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    The shallow snowpack has left many trees, stumps, rocks, logs, etc exposed or barely covered. As the snowpack shrinks, more of these "land mines" pop up every day. Even though the snowpack remains supportable in most places, variable snow surfaces across the region make over-the-snow travel more difficult right now. Moving at slower speeds on more mellow terrain and being observant can make avoiding obstacles easier and snow travel more fun. This strategy can also help dust the cobwebs off snow travel skills that went unused during the summer. 

    Avalanche activity will remain unlikely today. 

Avalanche Discussion

A mostly supportable snowpack 1-2 ft. deep exists on northerly aspects above 8600 ft. in the Mt. Rose area, above 7000 ft. along the northern Sierra Crest, and above 8000 ft. along the southern Sierra Crest. The snow surface varies widely. On slopes exposed to the winds, uneven scoured and wind packed surfaces exist. Moving into more sheltered areas these firm surfaces give way to breakable crusts. On the most sheltered northerly facing slopes, some areas of soft surface snow still linger (near-surface facets). Clear cool nights will allow these facets to continue to develop and the facet layer may become weaker and more widespread during this dry spell. Problematic weak layers have grown during dry spells in the past and only time will tell if the facets growing now will become a problem layer in the future. More sun-exposed easterly aspects hold frozen crusts in the morning and soft wet sticky snow if the crusts melt during daytime warming. Significant snow-melt has occurred on the southerly aspects leaving exposed ground on many of these slopes.

Regions covered