Avalanche Advisory: Saturday - Jan 9, 2021 | Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center

Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slab

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Strong to Gale force SW winds during the day yesterday led to some notable transport near and above treeline, particularly in areas to the north of Mammoth. Wind speeds are expected to drop drastically today and shift back to the north. Fresh wind slab development will be unlikely, but it may be possible to find pockets of reactive wind slab on isolated terrain features near and above treeline. Unsupported slopes, extreme terrain features, and areas that still hold loose surface snow in the mid-elevations band deserve elevated caution. Do your own localized assessments and be suspect of terrain features that encourage drifting such as the leeward sides of ridgelines, gully features, and cross-loaded depressions.

advisory discussion

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist today however the shallow and sporadic coverage and a variety of challenging surface conditions pose additional hazards to backcountry enthusiasts. If you decide to head into the high alpine today, ski or boot crampons and an ice ax may be a beneficial addition to your kit. Even an otherwise benign fall on the hard, sporadic snow coverage above treeline could result in a slide through very unpleasant terrain.

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1/8- Mammoth Area- Snow conditions in the Lakes Basin

1/8- Virginia Lakes- significant wind transport, small pockets of fresh deposit

1/6- Mammoth Area- Sherwin ridge snow conditions

Weather and CURRENT CONDITIONS

weather summary

High pressure builds into the region today, bringing dry conditions, mild temperatures, and light to moderate winds out of the North. Cloud over will increase throughout the day.

This high-pressure system is likely to remain through next week bringing warm and dry conditions.

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:	Sunny then becoming partly cloudy. Snow levels below 7000 feet.	Clear then becoming mostly cloudy. Snow levels below 7000 feet.	Partly cloudy then becoming sunny. Snow levels 7000 feet.
Temperatures:	31 to 37. deg. F.	20 to 25. deg. F.	36 to 44. deg. F.
Mid Slope Winds:	Northwest around 15 mph in the morning becoming light. Gusts up to 35 mph.	Light winds.	West around 15 mph with gusts to 30 mph.
Expected snowfall:	0 in.	0 in.	0 in.

Over 10,000 ft.

	Saturday	Saturday Night	Sunday
Weather:	Sunny then becoming partly cloudy. Snow levels below 7000 feet.	Clear then becoming mostly cloudy. Snow levels below 7000 feet.	Partly cloudy then becoming sunny. Snow levels 7000 feet.
Temperatures:	26 to 32. deg. F.	17 to 22. deg. F.	29 to 35. deg. F.
Ridge Top Winds:	North 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph.	Northwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph.	West 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph.
Expected snowfall:	0 in.	0 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.