Avalanche Advisory: Saturday - Mar 7, 2020 | Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center

Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slab

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Strong SW winds are already gusting into the 70mph range this morning over ridge tops, and are expected to continue throughout today. For areas that receive ~2” of new snow or more today, human triggered avalanches will become increasingly possible this afternoon as fresh wind slabs develop below ridgelines, sidewalls of gullies and around other features that promote drifting. NW-N-E-SE facing slopes will be of greatest concern. Evaluate new snow amounts, watch for blowing snow, and avoid steep terrain that may harbor greater amounts of freshly wind deposited snow.

advisory discussion

Be cautious of firm conditions today on melt-freeze slopes as today’s cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and winds will not allow for much softening.

recent observations

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-3/6 - Mammoth - Sunny aspects and low elevation northerly slope moistening and softening

3/05- Buttermilks-Kindergarten chute –snow conditions

3/05 – Mammoth Area – Bloody Mountain – snow conditions

3/05 – June Lake Area –June Mtn BC- snow conditions

Weather and CURRENT CONDITIONS

weather summary

A cold front moves in today bringing a chance of light snowfall with up to 1-3” of accumulation mostly between 10am and 4pm. Temperatures aren’t expected to make it above the mid to upper 20sF around 10,000’ with strong SW winds gusting into the 70mph range over ridge tops.

Cooler temperatures should last thru mid-week, with more chances of light snow Monday thru Wednesday as an upper low pressure system off the coast moves inland.

Two-Day Mountain Weather Forecast Produced in partnership with the Reno NWS

For 8,000 ft. to 10,000 ft.

	Saturday	Saturday Night	Sunday
Weather:	Partly cloudy. Chance of snow. Snow levels below 7000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 50%.	Partly cloudy then becoming clear. Slight chance of snow in the evening. Snow levels below 7000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 15%.	Partly cloudy. Snow levels below 7000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 5%.
Temperatures:	28 to 38. deg. F.	17 to 23. deg. F.	30 to 40. deg. F.
Mid Slope Winds:	Southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 60 mph.	Southwest 15 to 25 mph. Gusts up to 45 mph decreasing to 35 mph after midnight.	South around 15 mph.
Expected snowfall:	up to 2 inches. \| SWE = up to 0.15 inch. in.	20% probability up to 2 inches. 80% probability no accumulation. \| SWE = less than 0.10 inch. in.	0 in.

Over 10,000 ft.

	Saturday	Saturday Night	Sunday
Weather:	Partly cloudy then becoming mostly cloudy. Chance of snow through the day. Snow levels below 7000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 55%.	Mostly cloudy then becoming partly cloudy. Chance of snow in the evening. Snow levels below 7000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 25%.	Partly cloudy. Snow levels below 7000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Temperatures:	20 to 26. deg. F.	11 to 16. deg. F.	22 to 30. deg. F.
Ridge Top Winds:	Southwest 35 to 55 mph decreasing to 30 to 45 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 70 mph.	Southwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph decreasing to 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph after midnight.	Southwest 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph.
Expected snowfall:	70% probability of up to 2 inches. 30% probability of 2 to 4 inches. \| SWE = up to 0.25 inch. in.	20% probability up to 2 inches. 80% probability no accumulation. \| SWE = less than 0.10 inch. in.	0 in.

Disclaimer

This Avalanche Advisory is designed to generally describe avalanche conditions where local variations always occur. This product only applies to backcountry areas located outside established ski area boundaries. The information in this Avalanche Advisory is provided by the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, who is solely responsible for its content.