Huntington Ravine has LOW avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets. Normal caution is advised.

The Summit has picked up 3.7" (9.4 cm) of new snow, most of which fell after midnight. The 24-hour liquid total is .4" (1 cm) and all of that seems to have come in the form of frozen precipitation. The lower part of the mountain hasn't been as lucky. Hermit Lake received .5" (1.2 cm) of new snow and a 24-hour liquid total of .6" (1.6 cm). That data reflects the truth that rain did fall down here. Today's stability concerns are limited to the new snow that fell up high and is being blown into the Ravines by strong westerly winds that are gusting in the 80 mph (128 kph) range. The start zones are below freezing and are expected to stay there until the afternoon when warmer air will bring temperatures slightly above freezing. Expect new instabilities to be more problematic at the upper reaches of the forecast areas based on the temperature and snowfall distribution. As the warmer air brings the temperature above freezing in the start zones, newer slabs should settle relatively fast. In Huntington, expect isolated pockets of new slabs to be scattered about. In Tuckerman, expect the most suspect areas to exist in the Bowl, Headwall and Lip with less slab development in other areas.

Tomorrow looks like it is going to be a scorcher up here with summit temperatures reaching into the 40's (5 + C). This will cause concerns about ice fall as well as melt water in the snowpack. We will be watching the temperatures carefully over the next 24 hours to see how long our start zones will be above freezing. Another wet weather maker is in store for the weekend. Forecasts are calling for plenty of rain changing over to snow as the system passes. Keep an eye on this as it will probably affect stability over the weekend.

If you plan on going off the beaten path, bring snowshoes. The wet snowpack is perfect for epic post-holing adventures.

THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. Mountaineering skills and equipment are required for safe travel on this route.

The Sherburne Ski Trail is open with varying conditions. Expect new snow, old crust, deep waterbars and typical New England goodness.

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.