Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 12 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

LOW avalanche danger exists for all elevations and aspects. Human triggered avalanches are unlikely, but far from impossible today. Isolated pockets of small, shallow, unstable wind slab may exist above treeline on SE-S-SW-W-NW aspects due to recent areas of blowing snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Strong NE winds have redistributed the few inches of recent strom snow that were available for wind transport. Small shallow wind slabs exist in recently wind loaded areas, mainly above treeline on SE-S-SW-W-NW aspects. Recent observations indicate that human triggered avalanches are unlikely, but far from impossible today. Isolated instability may exist on specific complex terrain features including couloirs and gullies.

Avalanche Discussion

Observations made yesterday on Carson Pass revealed areas of blowing snow in above treeline terrain. With most of the snowpack capped by the high elevation rain/melt-freeze crust that formed following the Dec 20-21 warming event, loose snow available for transport was limited to the 2 to 6 inches of Dec 24 storm snow. Strong NE winds were noted to carry snow significant distances past ridgetops, leading to irregular and uneven redistribution of snow on the ground. On Red Lake Peak, wind slabs 6 to 8 inches deep were observed to have formed in small pockets near terrain irregulairities. Hand shears on several wind loaded aspects revealed smooth failure planes within the wind loaded snow. However, ski cuts on wind loaded SW aspect terrain features did not produce propagating fractures.

Regions covered