Good morning, this is Sue Burak from the Inyo National Forest Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center with the advisory posted for Tuesday, March 3. MOUNTAIN WEATHER Very windy and snowy weather continues through the week. The Hanford NWS office has issued a winter storm warning for the western slopes of the Sierra up to the Sierra Crest with several feet of snow expected on the west side of the Crest. The Reno NWS office issued a winter weather advisory for the eastern slopes of the Sierra beginning this afternoon at 4 PM and ending tomorrow afternoon at 4 PM. Stormy and windy weather continues through the end of the week. A cold air mass associated with the Alaska low pressure system will keep temperatures cool for the remainder of the week. Snow is expected to continue through Wednesday night with no let up in the wind. Expect steady southerly 30 mph winds today and tonight with gusts over 60 mph today increasing to 100 mph tonight. After a few days of spring like weather, temperatures have cooled off from the 40s to low 50s to the upper 20s for the 8,000 to 9,500 ft elevations. These temperatures will continue through the weekend. Higher elevations will be cold and windy with highs around 15-18F. The main snowfall event will be tonight will a foot of more or new snow expected in Mono County mountains. Snow will gradually wind down by Wednesday afternoon. By Wednesday morning, there could be three to four feet of new snow in the mountains above 9,000 ft. from Mammoth north to the Sonora Pass area. Once again, the southern Sierra will pick up far less snow with possibly 12-15 above 10,000 ft by Wednesday afternoon. There is a wind advisory for the eastern slopes and White Mountains for strong winds above 9,000 ft. The advisory expires this afternoon. SNOWPACK AND AVALANCHE DISCUSSION It got down and snowed yesterday in the mountains north of Mammoth. Leavitt Lake at 9,600 ft in the Sonora pass area picked up 2 inches of water in 10 hours with 3 inches of water in 24 hours. With only 10 to 12 inches of new snow falling in 24 hours, the new snow is a wet heavy sloppy mess. June Mountain reported 13 inches of new snow Monday morning with 27 inches total over the last couple of days. Strong winds formed the new snow into dense wind slabs that easily released with ski cuts on the firm wind hammered old snow surface with ski cuts on the lower and upper mountain. The wind loaded Wall slid with the flanks of the avalanche taller than a person. Rock Creek picked up 6-8 inches of new snow yesterday with another couple of inches this morning. The winds howled there yesterday and crossloaded northeast and north facing terrain. Steady winds at the higher elevations pulverized snow into slabs and cracking was observed by many yesterday in all areas and aspects above 9,000 ft. Mondays new snow came in dense and with warm temperatures. This snow rapidly set up into soft and hard slab conditions, especially at treeline and in the alpine. Below treeline, or around 8,000 ft, rain fell and added weight to the pack. With strong winds and rapid addition of snow and waterto the pack, the new snow was poorly bonded to the old wind hammered snow surfaces. Ski Patrol on June Mountain easily triggered slab avalanches that took out all the new snow and ran on the old snow surface. A large dose of new snow fell in the past 24 hours, and winds from the southwest to the northwest have been transporting new snow onto the lee sides of ridges, gullies and other terrain features. The snowpack is straining under this recent, rapid loading. With our new snow Id expect youd find our buried weak layers anywhere from 2.5 to 4 feet deep, and possibly deeper on some wind loaded slopes. Needless to say, these could make for some large and dangerous avalanches. There could be more natural avalanche activity today. You will quite likely to trigger avalanches on many steep slopes. BOTTOM LINE For today, the avalanche danger is HIGH on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees and CONSIDERABLE in less steep terrain Please note that the avalanche danger rating in this advisory expires in 24 hours. This advisory is our best interpretation of snow pack conditions and NWS forecasts issued today. Backcountry travelers should be aware that elevation and geographic distinctions are approximate and that a transition zone exists between upper and lower elevations. Avalanches do not happen by accident and most human involvement is a matter of choice not chance. Most avalanche accidents are caused by slab avalanches that are triggered by the victim of member of the victim's party. Even small slides can be dangerous. Always practice route finding skills and carry avalanche rescue gear. Remember that avalanche danger ratings are only general guidelines. Distinctions between geographic areas, elevations, slope aspects and slope angles should be made.