The Mount Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC) released its first avalanche forecast of the season this morning, and it says “considerable” avalanche danger is expected in the Presidentials on Thursday.
On Wednesday, December 10, MWAC officials said the center is now in full winter operations and will be issuing daily avalanche forecasts at 7 a.m. They will continue to release daily forecasts until they transition back to a general advisory in the spring.
While the first forecast classified Wednesday’s avalanche danger in the Presidential Range as “moderate” above 3,000 feet, it says avalanche danger will be “considerable” on Thursday in middle elevation (3,000 to 5,000 feet) and upper elevation (above 5,000 feet) areas.
The forecast predicts three to seven inches of snow to fall Wednesday with strong southwest winds. New wind slabs will likely form in north, northeast, and east aspects that are small and reactive. Later in the day as slabs thicken, anyone in these areas could encounter and be buried by a large wind slab.
“You could trigger an avalanche once wind-drifted snow accumulates in steep north and east-facing terrain at middle and upper elevations,” stated today’s report. “Snow deeper than your boot tops, shooting cracks, and plumes of snow near ridgelines are all signs of today’s developing avalanche problem.”
See today’s full forecast here.
The Mount Washington Avalanche Center has an app for easy access to avalanche information and observations on-the-go. You can download the app for free in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
