Sierra Avalanche Center: Avalanche Watch Issued For Greater Lake Tahoe Area

The Sierra Avalanche Center has issued an Avalanche Watch for the Great Lake Tahoe Area and the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains. It’s in effect from 5:00pm Tonight – 7:00am Friday Morning. Heavy snowfall and high winds are forecasted to increase the likelihood of avalanches in the area.

Avalanche Watch:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Avalanche Watch
U.S. Forest Service Sierra Avalanche Center
Relayed by National Weather Service Reno NV
931 AM PDT Tue Mar 20 2018

BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WATCH

THE SIERRA AVALANCHE CENTER IN TRUCKEE HAS ISSUED A BACKCOUNTRY
AVALANCHE WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: GREATER LAKE TAHOE

* TIMING...IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY 5 PM PDT TO FRIDAY 7 AM PDT.

* AFFECTED AREA...CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS BETWEEN YUBA PASS
  (HIGHWAY 49) ON THE NORTH AND EBBETTS PASS (HIGHWAY 4) ON THE
  SOUTH, INCLUDING THE GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA.

* AVALANCHE DANGER...THE AVALANCHE DANGER FOR THE WATCH AREA IS
  EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM CONSIDERABLE TO HIGH AVALANCHE DANGER
  DURING THE PERIOD WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

* REASON/IMPACTS...FORECAST HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH WIND MAY RESULT
  IN WIDESPREAD AVALANCHES. RAIN ON SNOW MAY ALSO CAUSE WIDESPREAD
  AVALANCHES.

* PRECAUTIONARY / PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...VERY DANGEROUS AVALANCHE
  CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR. IF SO, TRAVEL IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN IS NOT
  RECOMMENDED. AVALANCHES MAY RUN LONG DISTANCES AND CAN RUN INTO
  MATURE FORESTS, VALLEY FLOORS, OR FLAT TERRAIN.