This is an archived product which was in place during an incident.

General Avalanche Information
Presidential Range
Issued: Wednesday, December 6, 2023 - 4:49PM
Expires: Sunday, December 10, 2023 - 10:00AM
Author: Kate Moynihan

THE BOTTOM LINE

Watch out for isolated areas of unstable snow at middle and upper elevations which could avalanche from the weight of a person. Use proper route finding to avoid these areas and evaluate the snowpack carefully when in steep terrain where snow has collected. Falls in steep terrain can be consequential because of the hazards still present in the early season snowpack.

Forecast Discussion

The most likely places to encounter avalanche hazards will continue to be middle elevations, on steep southeast, east and northeast aspects where there are pockets of wind drifted snow. A change in boot penetration into deeper snow, and textured snow are good indicators that you have found a wind slab and you should evaluate the snowpack carefully. 

The 9-12” of new snow brought by the December 3rd storm has continued to fill in the terrain, primarily in east-facing ravines. On Monday and Tuesday, observations of natural avalanches and avalanche debris were submitted, indicating reactive storm slabs during and after the storm. Winds increased out of the west as the storm exited the region and redistributed snow to eastern aspects in pockets of wind slabs. 

As the week continues, a high pressure system will remain in the area until Saturday, bringing some sunshine and west/northwest winds capable of more snow transport. 

Remember: it’s still early season and any fall in steep terrain can still have severe consequences due to rocks, trees and other hazards still present in the snowpack.

Weather Forecast

A high pressure system will remain in the forecast area until Saturday. Expect to have some sunshine with cooler temperatures through Thursday with winds out of the west/northwest. The winds will briefly increase in intensity Thursday night with gusts up to 55 mph. Temperatures going into Friday will gradually increase throughout the day as a warm front approaches the area late Thursday night. This will bring an increase in cloud cover and precipitation is expected by Sunday night.