Backcountry Avalanche Forecast Central Sierra Nevada
Sierra Avalanche Center
www.sierraavalanchecenter.org
- Issued
- Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - 6:59AM
- Expires
- Thursday, November 30, 2023 - 6:59AM
- Author
- Andy Anderson
The Bottom Line
Hitting one of the rocks, stumps, logs, trees, bushes, etc, poking through the shallow snow presents more of a hazard than avalanches do today. The few places with snow barely have enough for people to recreate on. The avalanche danger could increase when new snow falls on top of the existing weak snow.
Avalanche Danger
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Thursday, November 30, 2023
- Above Treeline1 - Low
- Near Treeline1 - Low
- Below Treeline1 - Low
 1 - Low |  2 - Moderate |  3 - Considerable |  4 - High |  5 - Extreme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Advice | Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern. | Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended. | Extraordinarily dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid all avalanche terrain. |
| Likelihood of Avalanches | Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely. | Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible. | Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely. | Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely. | Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain. |
| Avalanche Size and Distribution | Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain. | Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas. | Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas. | Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas. | Very large avalanches in many areas. |
Forecast Discussion
Snow coverage remains limited across the forecast area. Most places still have widespread areas of exposed ground, especially on the more sun-exposed aspects (SE-S-SW-W aspects) and in NE wind-exposed areas where strong NE winds scoured snow away from the slopes. Some snow coverage does exist on the NW-N-NE aspects, especially in areas sheltered from the NE winds above about 8000 ft. In some of these places, 1 to 2 feet of snow exists. This snow has become a mix of crusts and weak, sugary snow (facets). In some places, the surface crusts remain supportable, and in others, they have become breakable crusts. Weak feathery snow grains (surface hoar) have also formed on the snow surface in some places. Adding more snow on top of this weak snowpack could create avalanche problems.
Early season conditions exist with many obstacles (rocks, bushes, logs, open water, etc.) exposed or barely covered. Hitting one of these hazards could easily end your season before it even begins. If you are traveling on snow for recreation, you should come up with a daily plan based on the current conditions and carry your normal backcountry kit including avalanche rescue gear (avalanche transceiver, probe, shovel).
Media
Mountain Weather
- Issued
- Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - 6:05AM
- Author
- Andy Anderson
The forecast calls for one more day of dry weather today before a series of small storms move through the area. These storms should begin to impact the area tomorrow with light snow, increased west winds, and widespread cloud cover. Snow should continue through the weekend, with 3-6 inches of new snow forecasted for some areas along the Sierra Crest. The wind should also increase through the weekend, and ridgelines along the Sierra Crest could see gusts around 80 mph at times. Check-in with the Reno NWS for more details.
| Central Sierra Nevada | Conditions in the last 24hrs | Weather Forecast for Today Produced in partnership with the Reno NWS | Weather Forecast for Tonight Produced in partnership with the Reno NWS | Weather Forecast for Tomorrow Produced in partnership with the Reno NWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mostly clear | Sunny then becoming partly cloudy. Snow levels below 5500 feet. Chance of precipitation is 5%. | Clear. Snow levels below 5500 feet. Chance of precipitation is 0%. | Mostly cloudy. Snow likely. Snow levels 5500 feet. Chance of precipitation is 65%. |
| Temperatures 7000 to 8000 ft. | @ 5am: 24 to 31 ° F | Max: 39 to 45 ° F | 34 to 39 ° F | 17 to 23 ° F | 30 to 35 ° F |
| Temperatures 8000 to 9000 ft. | @ 5am: 24 to 30 ° F | Max: 34 to 41 ° F | 30 to 36 ° F | 16 to 22 ° F | 25 to 31 ° F |
| Mid Slope Winds | SW @ 0 to 10 mph with gusts to 22 mph | Light winds. | Light winds. | West around 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon. |
| Ridgetop Winds | SW @ 10 to 25 mph with gusts to 37 mph | Light winds. | Light winds. | West 15 to 25 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph, increasing to 35 mph in the afternoon. |
| Snowfall 7000 to 8000 ft. | 0 inches | No accumulation. | SWE = none. | No accumulation. | SWE = none. | 60% probability up to 2 inches. 40% probability no accumulation. | SWE = Less than 0.10 inch. |
| Snowfall 8000 to 9000 ft. | 0 inches | No accumulation. | SWE = none. | No accumulation. | SWE = none. | 90% probability up to 2 inches. 10% probability of no accumulation | SWE = Less than 0.10 inch. |
| Total Snow Depth between 8200 and 8700 ft. | 2 to 12 inches |
This information is provided by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and describes general backcountry avalanche hazard and conditions.
It does not apply to ski areas and highways where avalanche mitigation is conducted.