Enough of the spring like weather, let's get on with winter. The topic of today's advisory is a winter storm that will be arriving here by tomorrow. The storm will be collecting moisture off the Gulf of Maine and spitting it back at us. The unique thing is that the temperatures will be cold enough to allow the precipitation to be snow! As usual, precipitation amounts will be higher to the south. Here on Mt. Washington we are on the line of a winter storm watch and warning. At this point we can expect snow to move in tomorrow giving us a few inches by the end of the day tomorrow. Then snow will intensify and most of the precipitation will fall tomorrow night. I hate to speculate but I think we can expect 12 to 35 cm (5 to 14 inches) of snow from this one. How's that for a range? Lingering snow will persist on Friday and winds look like they will be out of the NE then N and increasing. This is when we should start to see significant loading. Winds will probably be out of the NW late on Friday. Expect increasing avalanche danger through the duration of the storm. Be sure to check the advisory on Friday before making you weekend plans, as this storm will affect this weekends stability.

THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. Mountaineering skills and equipment are required on this route. Crampons and an ice axe are a must for safe travel on Mount Washington. The John Sherburne Ski Trail has reasonable coverage given the lean snow year and recent temps. You should still expect hidden hazards such as water ice and rocks.

As always, this advisory is one more tool to help you make your own decisions in avalanche terrain. It should be used along with your own snow stability assessments, knowledge of safe travel techniques, skill in reading mountain weather's effect on the snowpack, and avalanche rescue. To improve these skills take an avalanche course. We have all the avalanche courses offered in and around the Mt. Washington Valley this winter on our website, tuckerman.org.