The last avalanche forecast for the 2023-2024 season posted on April 21st. Thank you to all who contributed to the avalanche center this season through observations, volunteer time, and/or financial contributions.

Natural Avalanches in the Deer Creek Drainage

Location Name: Deer Creek Region: Sawtooth Ridge to Tahoe City Observation Date & Time: Sunday, December 4, 2022 - 02:00
Location: 39.220522, -120.167794 See map: CalTopo	Is this an Avalanche Observation?: Yes Conditions Alerts: Avalanche Activity Persistent Problem Recent Loading Recent Loading›Blowing Snow Recent Loading›More Than a Foot of New Snow Recent Loading›Rain on Snow Recent Loading›Snowfall Rates of More Than 1 in/hr Terrain Alerts: Slopes Steeper than 30 degrees Trigger Points Terrain Traps Terrain Matches the Advisory

Observation made by: Forecaster

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Observation

Description of Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions:

While snowmobiling up the 06 road to get to Watson Peak on 12/7, we saw two old natural avalanches on N-facing terrain in the Deer Creek drainage These were mostly filled in with snow, indicating that they likely occurred during the night on Saturday, 12/3, or early morning on Sunday, 12/4. We observed them all from a distance, but they all looked like persistent slab avalanches.

2 natural avalanches that occurred during the storm on Saturday (12/3) night or Sunday (12/4) morning.

A close up of the one on the right that broke all the way across this slope.

Snowpack Details

Persistent Weak Layers:

Buried

Terrain Details

Terrain: elevations:

Below Treeline

Terrain: aspects:

Avalanche Details

Avalanche Type:

Persistent Slab

Failure Plane/Weak Layer:

Old Snow

Additional number of similar avalanches:

Trigger

Trigger:

Natural

Terrain

Start Zone Slope Angle:

36degrees

Aspect:

North

Starting Elevation:

below-treeline

Size

Destructive Size:

D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.

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Natural Avalanches in the Deer Creek Drainage

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Natural Avalanches in the Deer Creek Drainage

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