Snowy Mountains · backcountry conditions

A data board, not a verdict. Every value carries its source — you make the call.

Generated Thu 20 Aug 2026, 07:00 (local)

Official avalanche hazard — human-required

This dashboard never computes or restates an avalanche danger rating. Read the Mountain Safety Collective report before entering backcountry terrain.

Main Range report 2026-08-19 (1 d ago)
Dividing Range: report 2026-08-20 (today)

MSC report →

Measured now — alpine AWS

OBS

BOM station observations, never blended with the forecast. Arrows: change vs the same station ~3 h ago (measured, no model). No sensor sits on the Main Range itself. Station names link to BOM's own obs pages.

Overnight at Thredbo Top Station: min 1.6° at 06:20 · thawed yesterday, no refreeze — wet pack overnight

Thredbo Top Station 1957 m

10 min ago

2.1° ▼1.1°/3h feels -8° · 46 NW (70 g) km/h ▼30/3h · 100% RH · 24.8 mm since 9am

Perisher Valley 1738 m

10 min ago

3.5° ▼1.4°/3h feels -2° · 20 WNW (43 g) km/h ▲5/3h · 100% RH · 11.8 mm since 9am

Cabramurra 1482 m

10 min ago

5.5° ▼0.5°/3h feels -1° · 28 NNW (41 g) km/h ▼13/3h · 100% RH · 4.4 mm since 9am

Thredbo Village 1380 m · Non-AWS

16 h ago

9.4° feels 7° · 6 SW (? g) km/h · 62% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Base depth — Spencers Creek snow course (1830 m)

Canonical AU base-depth record (manual, ~weekly). No machine-readable value — open the chart. Measured below the ridge; there is no depth sensor on the Main Range itself.

chart →

Live wind map

animated · wind

Map by Windy.com · drag/zoom to explore; the marker sits on the Main Range.

Blue Lake

freezing 2310–2530 m

freezing level 2310–2530 m · 0.00 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow (high)

⚠ models diverge: wind 10.2 vs 20.3 km/h (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1890 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 12 NW 54 0.6k 100 1.8 0.0 2500
07:00 -1° 10 NW 42 1.4k 100 0.9 0.0 2530
08:00 8 WNW 37 0.7k 100 2.2 0.0 2480
09:00 6 WNW 33 0.6k 100 3.1 0.0 2480
10:00 10 NW 42 2.5k 100 1.9 0.0 2460
11:00 10 NW 42 1.9k 100 2.3 0.0 2500
12:00 10 NW 43 0.9k 100 2.8 0.0 2510
13:00 -1° 11 WNW 43 1.5k 100 2.9 0.0 2310
14:00 -1° 13 WNW 41 0.8k 100 1.8 0.0 2370
15:00 -1° 13 WNW 41 0.7k 100 2.7 0.0 2380
16:00 -2° 14 WNW 46 0.2k 100 2.0 0.0 2390
17:00 -2° 15 WNW 49 0.7k 100 0.4 0.0 2390
18:00 -2° 15 WNW 49 0.3k 100 0.9 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 240 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ rain on snow — high severity

rain-on-snow: 3.1 mm at 2.8 °C; freezing level 2480 m — the signature AU hazard. Rapid strength loss, wet slides, runnels; treat steep slopes with suspicion and watch for pinwheels/roller-balls.

derived weather signals, NOT an official avalanche forecast

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Charlotte Pass

freezing 2310–2530 m

freezing level 2310–2530 m · 0.02 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1760 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -2° 21 WNW 54 13.0k 100 1.1 0.0 2500
07:00 -2° 21 WNW 52 3.8k 100 0.5 0.0 2530
08:00 -1° 16 WNW 50 2.3k 100 1.2 0.0 2480
09:00 14 WNW 42 3.4k 100 2.0 0.0 2480
10:00 16 WNW 43 4.4k 100 1.1 0.0 2460
11:00 16 NW 44 3.1k 100 1.0 0.0 2500
12:00 18 WNW 46 2.8k 100 1.6 0.0 2510
13:00 -1° 17 WNW 46 2.8k 100 2.2 0.0 2310
14:00 -1° 14 WNW 44 0.8k 100 1.5 0.0 2370
15:00 -1° 10 WNW 38 1.4k 100 1.8 0.0 2380
16:00 -1° 11 NW 36 0.8k 100 1.8 0.0 2390
17:00 -1° 13 WNW 41 1.5k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -2° 10 WNW 41 0.8k 100 0.7 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 760 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ rain on snow — high severity

rain-on-snow: 2.2 mm at 3 °C; freezing level 2310 m — the signature AU hazard. Rapid strength loss, wet slides, runnels; treat steep slopes with suspicion and watch for pinwheels/roller-balls.

derived weather signals, NOT an official avalanche forecast

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Dead Horse Gap / Rams Head

freezing 2370–2560 m

freezing level 2370–2560 m · 0.00 m base

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1580 m · loads SE · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° 20 NW 55 14.4k 100 0.7 0.0 2560
07:00 -1° 21 NW 54 4.2k 100 0.5 0.0 2530
08:00 19 NW 52 3.6k 100 0.8 0.0 2490
09:00 17 NW 48 4.5k 100 1.2 0.0 2520
10:00 17 NW 48 10.0k 100 0.6 0.0 2510
11:00 17 NW 47 3.5k 100 0.6 0.0 2540
12:00 18 NW 47 2.8k 100 1.4 0.0 2530
13:00 17 WNW 48 2.5k 100 2.4 0.0 2370
14:00 -1° 17 NW 48 2.6k 100 2.0 0.0 2420
15:00 13 NW 46 2.1k 100 2.1 0.0 2430
16:00 12 NW 38 1.2k 100 1.7 0.0 2410
17:00 13 WNW 40 1.7k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -1° 10 WNW 39 1.0k 100 0.8 0.0 2460

No derived flags fired. Checked: wind chill (exposure), poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wind loading, rain on snow, wet-loose warming.

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Guthega access

freezing 2310–2530 m

freezing level 2310–2530 m · 0.00 m base

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1640 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 23 WNW 67 2.3k 100 1.3 0.0 2500
07:00 22 WNW 62 4.0k 100 0.3 0.0 2530
08:00 16 WNW 58 2.5k 100 1.3 0.0 2480
09:00 14 WNW 46 2.7k 100 2.1 0.0 2480
10:00 18 WNW 51 1.9k 100 1.1 0.0 2460
11:00 18 WNW 51 3.1k 100 1.2 0.0 2500
12:00 20 WNW 53 3.0k 100 1.5 0.0 2510
13:00 18 WNW 52 1.5k 100 1.7 0.0 2310
14:00 15 WNW 49 2.8k 100 1.0 0.0 2370
15:00 14 WNW 43 1.4k 100 1.6 0.0 2380
16:00 16 WNW 44 1.0k 100 1.7 0.0 2390
17:00 17 WNW 53 1.2k 100 0.4 0.0 2390
18:00 16 WNW 53 1.1k 100 0.6 0.0 2460

No derived flags fired. Checked: wind chill (exposure), poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wind loading, rain on snow, wet-loose warming.

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Main Range (Kosciuszko)

freezing 2370–2560 m

freezing level 2370–2560 m · 0.00 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

2228 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° 12 NNW 62 0.8k 100 1.2 0.0 2560
07:00 -3° 10 NNW 52 2.5k 100 1.1 0.0 2530
08:00 -3° 9 NNW 48 2.0k 100 1.8 0.0 2490
09:00 -2° 7 NNW 44 2.2k 100 2.2 0.0 2520
10:00 -2° 8 NNW 48 2.9k 100 1.3 0.0 2510
11:00 -2° 10 NNW 54 2.4k 100 1.7 0.0 2540
12:00 -2° 9 NNW 54 1.8k 100 2.8 0.0 2530
13:00 -3° 10 NW 52 2.5k 100 3.7 0.0 2370
14:00 -4° 11 NW 48 2.7k 100 2.2 0.0 2420
15:00 -4° 11 NW 49 1.9k 100 2.6 0.0 2430
16:00 -4° 12 NW 57 0.3k 100 1.7 0.0 2410
17:00 -4° 13 NW 58 0.8k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -4° 12 NW 55 0.3k 100 1.0 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 300 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

derived weather signals, NOT an official avalanche forecast

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Perisher access

freezing 2310–2530 m

freezing level 2310–2530 m · 0.00 m base

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1720 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 23 WNW 67 2.3k 100 1.3 0.0 2500
07:00 22 WNW 62 4.0k 100 0.3 0.0 2530
08:00 16 WNW 58 2.5k 100 1.3 0.0 2480
09:00 14 WNW 46 2.7k 100 2.1 0.0 2480
10:00 18 WNW 51 1.9k 100 1.1 0.0 2460
11:00 18 WNW 51 3.1k 100 1.2 0.0 2500
12:00 20 WNW 53 3.0k 100 1.5 0.0 2510
13:00 18 WNW 52 1.5k 100 1.7 0.0 2310
14:00 15 WNW 49 2.8k 100 1.0 0.0 2370
15:00 14 WNW 43 1.4k 100 1.6 0.0 2380
16:00 16 WNW 44 1.0k 100 1.7 0.0 2390
17:00 17 WNW 53 1.2k 100 0.4 0.0 2390
18:00 16 WNW 53 1.1k 100 0.6 0.0 2460

No derived flags fired. Checked: wind chill (exposure), poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wind loading, rain on snow, wet-loose warming.

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Watsons Crags

freezing 2320–2580 m

freezing level 2320–2580 m · 0.00 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

2100 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° 12 NNW 62 0.8k 100 1.2 0.0 2510
07:00 -1° 10 NNW 52 2.5k 100 1.1 0.0 2580
08:00 -1° 9 NNW 48 2.0k 100 1.8 0.0 2500
09:00 -1° 7 NNW 44 2.2k 100 2.2 0.0 2470
10:00 8 NNW 48 2.9k 100 1.3 0.0 2460
11:00 10 NNW 54 2.4k 100 1.7 0.0 2420
12:00 9 NNW 54 1.8k 100 2.8 0.0 2520
13:00 -1° 10 NW 52 2.5k 100 3.7 0.0 2350
14:00 -2° 11 NW 48 2.7k 100 2.2 0.0 2320
15:00 -2° 11 NW 49 1.9k 100 2.6 0.0 2330
16:00 -2° 12 NW 57 0.3k 100 1.7 0.0 2360
17:00 -2° 13 NW 58 0.8k 100 0.3 0.0 2380
18:00 -2° 12 NW 55 0.3k 100 1.0 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 300 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

derived weather signals, NOT an official avalanche forecast

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Western Faces

freezing 2370–2560 m

freezing level 2370–2560 m · 0.00 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

2050 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-20 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° 12 NNW 62 0.8k 100 1.2 0.0 2560
07:00 -1° 10 NNW 52 2.5k 100 1.1 0.0 2530
08:00 9 NNW 48 2.0k 100 1.8 0.0 2490
09:00 7 NNW 44 2.2k 100 2.2 0.0 2520
10:00 8 NNW 48 2.9k 100 1.3 0.0 2510
11:00 10 NNW 54 2.4k 100 1.7 0.0 2540
12:00 9 NNW 54 1.8k 100 2.8 0.0 2530
13:00 -1° 10 NW 52 2.5k 100 3.7 0.0 2370
14:00 -2° 11 NW 48 2.7k 100 2.2 0.0 2420
15:00 -2° 11 NW 49 1.9k 100 2.6 0.0 2430
16:00 -2° 12 NW 57 0.3k 100 1.7 0.0 2410
17:00 -2° 13 NW 58 0.8k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -2° 12 NW 55 0.3k 100 1.0 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 300 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

derived weather signals, NOT an official avalanche forecast

Source: open-meteo/best-match · fetched 0 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Cams

Perisher Valley

Community webcam (valley) · Webcam provided by Windy.com

Trailhead access

Road and park status change fast in the alpine — open these before you drive. Chain-fit and snow closures apply to Kosciuszko Rd and the Alpine Way in winter.

Road status: Transport for NSW Live Traffic (CC BY 4.0) · fetched 0 min ago

Daily reads — the humans who watch this mountain

human-authored sources — names, links and post dates only, never their content

Before you go

The morning read ends with the safety net, not just the weather. Chains must be carried in Kosciuszko NP in winter (4WD/AWD exempt); Kosciuszko Rd is closed Perisher→Charlotte Pass (oversnow only). The full pre-trip checklist lives in the repo (docs/FIELD-NOTES.md).

Source health

1 source(s) stale or unavailable

When each input last updated and whether this build reached it. link = human-required source we point to, never parse.