Central Sierra Nevada

Problèmes avalancheux

• 

  Loose Wet

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alpin
  • Limite forestière
  • Sous la limite forestière

  Probabilité

  Possible

  Taille

  1–2

  Some cloud cover and wind may delay wet snow formation in a few places today, but warm temperatures and strong March sun should still provide enough warming to create a layer of wet surface snow in many areas. Once the wet snow forms, wet loose avalanches will become possible. Slopes that face the sun directly (E-SE-S-SW-W) will experience the most warming and have more wet snow. Less wet snow will form on northerly aspects, but thin clouds may help spread warming and wet snow to a few of these slopes as well. Wet loose avalanches could entrain enough snow to knock a person over or push them into a terrain trap that magnifies the consequences of an avalanche. Long, steep slopes can produce larger, wet loose avalanches since they entrain more snow as they move downhill. 

  Traveling on less steep terrain represents one way to enjoy soft, wet snow and reduce exposure to this problem. Another way involves timing your travel to move to colder aspects or exit the area before the snow gets too mushy and wet. Roller balls, pinwheels, and sinking into wet snow when you step off your equipment can indicate that enough wet snow exists for wet loose avalanches.