Avalanche forecast

Eastside Region

Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

You may encounter wet snow avalanche problems at all elevations. A small Wet Loose avalanche, a falling cornice, or a person's weight could trigger a dangerous avalanche that breaks on buried weak layers in the snowpack. To manage this hazard, choose lower-angle slopes, avoid overhead hazards, and maintain wide safety margins. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    Warm temperatures and partly cloudy skies overnight led to a poor refreeze of snow surfaces, especially at lower elevations. As the sun comes out and temperatures rise, loose wet avalanche danger will rise quickly. As the snow continues to warm, rollerballs or pinwheels can be the first signs of instability. Radiators such as cliffbands, rock features, and confined couloirs can trap heat and exacerbate the effects of warming. Wet Loose avalanches often fail from a single point, and entrain heavy snow as they move downhill. The best way to manage Wet Loose avalanches is to avoid overhead hazard and be off of steep slopes before snow becomes too wet and unconsolidated.

    Even a small Wet Loose avalanche has the potential to break into buried weak layers in our snowpack, producing a much larger avalanche. 

     

     

    (2/23/2025) Photo: Samantha Rubin

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3.5

    Managing persistent slabs is difficult. They may be triggered remotely—from flatter terrain adjacent to steep slopes and from terrain people usually think of as safe. Persistent slabs often propagate widely and in unpredictable ways. Tracks on a slope do not mean that it’s safe. Shooting cracks and collapses are clear warning signs of the problem. However, feedback is often irregular. The best option is to minimize your exposure to steep terrain on the aspects and elevations with sugary facets buried under stiffer slabs. Use extra caution in rocky, complex terrain, near convexities, and on slopes with inconsistent snow depth.

    Today marks one week since any reported avalanche activity on our buried persistent weak layers. While it appears the layers are becoming  harder to trigger, targeted snowpack tests are showing these layers can still propagate widely if triggered. Persistent Slab avalanches are more sensitive to a person in the southern half of the forecast area and at lower elevations where the slab is thinner (3 feet or less). At higher elevations, particularly from Mammoth north, the slab is thicker (~4 to 6+ feet), and feedback may be unreliable. A very large avalanche could be the first sign a slope is unstable. A smaller wet loose avalanche, cornice fall, or the weight of a person in a rocky area with shallower snow cover, could be all that is needed to trigger an unsurvivable avalanche.

     

    (2/23/2025) Photo: Samantha Rubin

Avalanche Discussion

While we've seen warming for many days, it's important to note today is the second consecutive day with a poor overnight refreeze. We expect wet loose avalanches to be smaller in size. However, it may not be impossible to see a larger D2 avalanche today in isolated locations. Be particularly cautious in confined south facing terrain with radiators such as cliffbands that can exacerbate the effects of warming. 

Regions covered