Huntington Ravine is still under a General Avalanche Advisory. A General Advisory is issued when instabilities are isolated within the entire forecast area. However it's important to realize that avalanche activity may occur within these locations before the issuance of a 5-scale forecast. This is a critical fact to remember. Under a General Advisory you need to make your own avalanche stability assessments before venturing into any open slopes.

It is snowing on Mt. Washington. Really, I'm not kidding! So far Hermit Lake has picked up 4.5" (11.5 cm) of new snow as of 7 am and it is currently snowing at a steady rate. Snow is expected to continue for most of the morning and then it will become mixed precipitation during the afternoon hours. At this time, it appears that avalanche terrain won't be seeing any rain but if it does it will only be for a brief period of time. The precipitation is associated with a coastal storm that will be driving warm air ahead of it which is the cause for the mixed precipitation in higher terrain later today. As the front passes, temperatures will fall and allow the moisture to go back to snow in the early evening. Currently winds are out of the south and are forecasted to stay there through early afternoon and will be blowing between 60 and 80 mph (96 - 128 kph) with higher gusts. Late this afternoon winds will shift to the west and remain between 60 and 80 mph with higher gusts. Upslope snow is expected to continue, delivering accumulating snow through tomorrow. The storm totals for this event are very hard to pin down but we are looking at somewhere around 8" (20 cm). I am optimistic and think we may see a bit more given what we already have on the ground and the expected duration of this event. One thing is for sure, this event will affect our stability.

South winds are loading this new snow into the start zone of Left Gully and cross-loading the new snow into Tuckerman Ravine creating unstable slabs. Recent warm temperatures and rain have greatly reduced the continuity of snow in the Ravine leaving the north side of the Bowl with unconnected pockets. These pockets are an issue and despite their size, they could still produce an avalanche. As you head south in the Ravine toward the Chute and Left Gully you will find our largest avalanche paths that have the most potential for larger avalanches. Left Gully is posted at High today due to its aspect and size paired with today's winds and the expected amount of snow. With south winds dominating for the most part of the day, expect the south side of Tuckerman to be on the upper end of the Considerable rating. As temperatures cool down late today and winds become westerly, we will see more direct loading in the Bowl. A lot of factors will play out today that can change stability in a variety of ways. The mixed precipitation has the ability of add weight to the snow pack and tip the balance between stress and strength in slabs or it can encapsulate the snow in an icy crust. Generally you should expect decreasing stability as the day progresses. The Bowl, Lip and Headwall will be on their way to High, particularly once the winds shift to the west. Expect avalanche danger to be elevated tomorrow as well due to the amount of upslope snow we could receive paired with steady westerly winds through the day tomorrow.

The recent heat wave changed the conditions in both Ravines substantially. I think that this week has the potential to rebuild some areas just as fast as they disappeared. Huntington Ravine had just about zero snow in it yesterday. This weeks weather has the potential to transform a barren gully to an avalanche path in a short period of time. I am not saying this to get folks excited about turning our season around because we have a long way to go for that. I am trying to make the point that you need to keep your avalanche eyes open and realize that conditions can change quickly. We will do our best to monitor these changes as the weather conditions permit.