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.

The weather over the past 24 hours has made for some tricky avalanche forecasting. The primary issue is determining how much mixed precipitation fell in avalanche terrain and above the Ravines. Lets start with Hermit Lake data, as our field observers were able to collect some great weather data for us. Before mixed precipitation began at Hermit Lake around 11:15 am, we recorded 7.5" (18 cm) of new snow with a density of 17.9%. After that, a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain fell until after dark. This mix made it all the way up to the summit of Mt. Washington. As temperatures fell, the mixed changed back to snow giving Hermit Lake and additional 2" (5 cm) with a density of 15% bringing the storm total of 9.5" (24 cm) of snow. The Summit recorded less snow than Hermit Lake with a storm total of 6.5" (16 cm). As the cooling trend occurred we can assume that areas higher up on the mountain transitioned to snow earlier than Hermit Lake which leaves me with the question of how much snow fell in the start zones and above the Ravines. Winds have been blowing snow into the Ravines through the entire duration as they moved from the S to the SW and now the W with some time spent out of the WNW. This is nice for loading snow onto most aspects in our forecast area. Today we may see more upslope snow adding to the situation but it does not appear that there is as much moisture as we thought yesterday. Therefore, today's Considerable rating is based on the concern for wind loading through the day that will be transporting snow that fell after the mixed precipitation and any new snow that falls today. Winds will be out of the W 50 to 70 mph (80 to 112 kph) this morning and decreasing to 40 to 55 mph (65 to 88 kph) later in the day. As long as the upslope snow doesn't add up to more than anticipated, I expect the stability trend to improve over the next 24 hours.

Temperatures on the mountain will dip below zero F tomorrow making it feel more like winter. However, the recent heat wave changed the conditions in both Ravines substantially but recent snow is helping them recover some. Huntington Ravine had just about zero snow in it before yesterday's storm. This week's 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.