Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Friday morning, January 2, 2026

A storm is moving through which has brought some snow and wind, increasing the avalanche danger slightly. Overall, the avalanche danger is LOW but there are pockets where a MODERATE avalanche danger exists. Areas with wind drifted snow along the higher ridges is where you might be able to crack out a fresh wind slab. This will be most pronounced on the east facing half of the compass. Avoid fresh wind drifts, pillows and slabs in the higher terrain and you'll stay safe today.

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Weather and Snow
General Conditions: An oddly warm storm has delivered some precipitation. We are pushing about an inch of water so far out of this storm in about 6 inches of snow. That's some dense snow!! It's probably more like paste than powder. Good for base building, at least in the higher terrain. The rain/snow level hovered in the 8000 to 9000 foot range until about 3am when temperatures cooled a little. Snow accumulation really only happened above 8500 feet. Did I mention temperatures are warm? They were in the low 30s overnight and just recently dropped into the upper 20s. Wind has been blustery with moderate speeds in many areas and stronger speeds in the exposed terrain.
Mountain Weather: The storm will start to slow down and move out of our area as the day goes on and we may see skies clear somewhat by this afternoon. We may see a little more precipitation still this morning but I'm not expecting much more accumulation. Temperatures are going to flirt with freezing most of the day. Gusty wind this morning will slow through the day and will generally be from the west northwest. We'll have cloudy skies on Saturday with temperatures into the upper 30s in the higher terrain. Another storm moves through Sunday afternoon and into Monday which could bring another 4 to 6 inches of snow.
Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
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My best guess is that the new snow will be plastered into place. I'm expecting good stability today. That said, it was a bit windy during the storm and we'll probably see fresh drifts along the higher ridges today. These drifts are always the most sensitive when they are forming and directly afterward. So, try to identify them and avoid them if they are on steep slopes, and you'll stay safe. These drifts and slabs will be most pronounced along the higher ridgelines on north through southeast facing terrain.

General Announcements
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.