Snowy Mountains · backcountry conditions

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

Generated Wed 12 Aug 2026, 15:00 (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 2026-08-12 (today)
Dividing Range: report 2026-08-12 (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 -4.1° at 21:50

Thredbo Top Station 1957 m

10 min ago

-0.9° ▲0.6°/3h feels -15° · 61 WNW (80 g) km/h ▲22/3h · 99% RH · 1.8 mm since 9am

Perisher Valley 1738 m

10 min ago

0.7° ▲0.7°/3h feels -6° · 28 W (56 g) km/h ▲2/3h · 100% RH · 3.0 mm since 9am

Cabramurra 1482 m

10 min ago

1.8° ▲0.5°/3h feels -6° · 32 W (46 g) km/h ▲6/3h · 100% RH · 2.4 mm since 9am

Thredbo Village 1380 m · Non-AWS

6 h ago

2.2° feels -1° · 7 W (? g) km/h · 92% RH · 2.0 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 1630–1850 m

4 cm new snow · freezing level 1630–1850 m · 0.30 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow (high)

⚠ models diverge: wind 10.6 vs 21.5 km/h (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1890 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -8° 16 WNW 54 0.1k 100 0.5 0.3 1630
07:00 -3° -8° 16 WNW 52 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
08:00 -3° -7° 15 WNW 50 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1630
09:00 -3° -7° 13 WNW 46 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
10:00 -2° -6° 11 WNW 41 0.1k 100 0.2 0.1 1690
11:00 -2° -6° 11 WNW 38 0.5k 100 1.0 0.6 1730
12:00 -4° 11 WNW 38 2.6k 100 0.7 0.4 1760
13:00 -4° 10 WNW 38 2.9k 100 0.8 0.6 1740
14:00 -5° 12 WNW 42 3.0k 100 0.8 0.5 1810
15:00 -1° -5° 13 WNW 43 2.5k 100 0.9 0.6 1830
16:00 -1° -5° 12 WNW 42 0.2k 100 0.7 0.4 1830
17:00 -1° -5° 12 WNW 40 0.1k 100 0.4 0.1 1840
18:00 -1° -5° 12 WNW 37 0.2k 100 0.8 0.3 1850

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 60 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 — watch severity

rain-on-snow: 0.9 mm at -0.7 °C; freezing level 1830 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 1630–1850 m

2.1 cm new snow · freezing level 1630–1850 m · 0.26 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), rain on snow (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1760 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -2° -6° 12 WNW 44 0.2k 100 0.4 0.2 1630
07:00 -2° -6° 11 W 40 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
08:00 -2° -6° 11 W 37 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1630
09:00 -1° -6° 13 WNW 37 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
10:00 -1° -5° 15 WNW 40 0.1k 100 0.1 0.0 1690
11:00 -1° -5° 15 WNW 41 2.8k 100 0.5 0.3 1730
12:00 -4° 17 WNW 46 8.0k 89 0.2 0.1 1760
13:00 -4° 18 WNW 47 6.6k 100 0.4 0.3 1740
14:00 -4° 19 WNW 50 4.9k 100 0.2 0.1 1810
15:00 -4° 18 WNW 51 3.7k 100 0.5 0.3 1830
16:00 -4° 15 WNW 46 0.9k 100 0.3 0.2 1830
17:00 -4° 13 W 40 0.2k 100 0.1 0.1 1840
18:00 -1° -5° 12 W 36 0.3k 100 0.4 0.2 1850

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 100 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ icy surface (melt-freeze) — watch severity

melt-freeze: 0.8 °C at 12:00 then -0.5 °C at 17:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ rain on snow — watch severity

rain-on-snow: 0.5 mm at -0.7 °C; freezing level 1730 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 1560–1860 m

1.3 cm new snow · freezing level 1560–1860 m · 0.15 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1580 m · loads SE · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -2° -7° 19 WNW 54 0.2k 100 0.2 0.1 1560
07:00 -2° -6° 17 WNW 48 0.2k 100 0.0 0.0 1560
08:00 -1° -6° 15 WNW 44 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1580
09:00 -1° -6° 18 WNW 48 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1620
10:00 -5° 18 WNW 47 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1720
11:00 -5° 18 WNW 47 1.9k 100 0.3 0.2 1760
12:00 -4° 20 WNW 53 6.4k 91 0.1 0.1 1800
13:00 -3° 20 WNW 54 6.7k 100 0.4 0.2 1780
14:00 -3° 20 WNW 55 3.9k 96 0.3 0.1 1810
15:00 -4° 19 WNW 55 5.0k 100 0.4 0.3 1850
16:00 -4° 16 WNW 51 2.2k 100 0.2 0.1 1850
17:00 -4° 15 WNW 44 0.1k 100 0.1 0.0 1850
18:00 -4° 14 W 39 0.2k 100 0.2 0.1 1860

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 120 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: 0.4 mm at 1.7 °C; freezing level 1780 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

Guthega access

freezing 1630–1850 m

2.4 cm new snow · freezing level 1630–1850 m · 0.10 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow, wet-loose warming (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1640 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° -5° 13 W 46 0.3k 100 0.5 0.3 1630
07:00 -1° -5° 12 W 44 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
08:00 -1° -5° 13 W 42 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1630
09:00 -4° 13 W 43 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
10:00 -4° 15 W 45 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1690
11:00 -4° 16 W 46 0.4k 98 0.7 0.4 1730
12:00 -3° 18 W 53 8.2k 99 0.3 0.2 1760
13:00 -2° 17 WNW 52 3.7k 100 0.5 0.3 1740
14:00 -3° 20 WNW 58 4.7k 100 0.4 0.2 1810
15:00 -3° 20 W 59 2.8k 100 0.6 0.3 1830
16:00 -3° 16 W 57 0.8k 100 0.5 0.3 1830
17:00 -3° 13 W 47 0.2k 100 0.2 0.0 1840
18:00 -3° 11 W 41 0.4k 100 0.4 0.1 1850

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 100 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 — watch severity

rain-on-snow: 0.7 mm at 0.7 °C; freezing level 1730 m — the signature AU hazard. Rapid strength loss, wet slides, runnels; treat steep slopes with suspicion and watch for pinwheels/roller-balls.

▲ wet-loose warming — watch severity

warming -0.9→2.4 °C through the day — wet-loose / point-release on sun-warmed N/NW/W aspects. Tour early, be off steep solar slopes by early afternoon.

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

Main Range (Kosciuszko)

freezing 1560–1860 m

2.1 cm new snow · freezing level 1560–1860 m · 0.16 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout (high)

⚠ models diverge: wind 9.1 vs 20.8 km/h (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2228 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -5° -10° 13 WNW 56 0.1k 100 0.3 0.1 1560
07:00 -5° -10° 13 NW 54 0.1k 100 0.1 0.0 1560
08:00 -5° -9° 12 NW 53 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1580
09:00 -5° -9° 10 NW 48 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1620
10:00 -4° -8° 9 NW 44 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1720
11:00 -4° -8° 8 NW 41 0.6k 100 0.7 0.5 1760
12:00 -3° -7° 9 NW 41 3.9k 100 0.4 0.2 1800
13:00 -3° -7° 9 NW 42 5.2k 100 0.6 0.3 1780
14:00 -3° -7° 9 NW 46 4.3k 100 0.5 0.2 1810
15:00 -3° -7° 10 NW 45 3.0k 100 0.7 0.3 1850
16:00 -3° -7° 9 NW 43 0.2k 100 0.5 0.1 1850
17:00 -3° -7° 9 WNW 40 0.1k 100 0.2 0.0 1850
18:00 -4° -7° 8 WNW 37 0.2k 100 0.6 0.1 1860

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 80 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 1630–1850 m

2.4 cm new snow · freezing level 1630–1850 m · 0.10 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow, wet-loose warming (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

1720 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° -5° 13 W 46 0.3k 100 0.5 0.3 1630
07:00 -1° -5° 12 W 44 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
08:00 -1° -5° 13 W 42 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1630
09:00 -4° 13 W 43 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1630
10:00 -4° 15 W 45 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1690
11:00 -4° 16 W 46 0.4k 98 0.7 0.4 1730
12:00 -3° 18 W 53 8.2k 99 0.3 0.2 1760
13:00 -2° 17 WNW 52 3.7k 100 0.5 0.3 1740
14:00 -3° 20 WNW 58 4.7k 100 0.4 0.2 1810
15:00 -3° 20 W 59 2.8k 100 0.6 0.3 1830
16:00 -3° 16 W 57 0.8k 100 0.5 0.3 1830
17:00 -3° 13 W 47 0.2k 100 0.2 0.0 1840
18:00 -3° 11 W 41 0.4k 100 0.4 0.1 1850

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 100 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 — watch severity

rain-on-snow: 0.7 mm at 0.7 °C; freezing level 1730 m — the signature AU hazard. Rapid strength loss, wet slides, runnels; treat steep slopes with suspicion and watch for pinwheels/roller-balls.

▲ wet-loose warming — watch severity

warming -0.9→2.4 °C through the day — wet-loose / point-release on sun-warmed N/NW/W aspects. Tour early, be off steep solar slopes by early afternoon.

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

Watsons Crags

freezing 1470–1820 m

2.1 cm new snow · freezing level 1470–1820 m · 0.16 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow (high)

✓ models agree (best-match + ICON)

2100 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -8° 13 WNW 56 0.1k 100 0.3 0.1 1470
07:00 -3° -8° 13 NW 54 0.1k 100 0.1 0.0 1470
08:00 -3° -8° 12 NW 53 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1500
09:00 -3° -7° 10 NW 48 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1520
10:00 -2° -6° 9 NW 44 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1620
11:00 -2° -6° 8 NW 41 0.6k 100 0.7 0.5 1640
12:00 -1° -5° 9 NW 41 3.9k 100 0.4 0.2 1650
13:00 -1° -5° 9 NW 42 5.2k 100 0.6 0.3 1700
14:00 -1° -5° 9 NW 46 4.3k 100 0.5 0.2 1760
15:00 -1° -5° 10 NW 45 3.0k 100 0.7 0.3 1760
16:00 -2° -5° 9 NW 43 0.2k 100 0.5 0.1 1770
17:00 -2° -6° 9 WNW 40 0.1k 100 0.2 0.0 1820
18:00 -2° -6° 8 WNW 37 0.2k 100 0.6 0.1 1820

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 80 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 — watch severity

rain-on-snow: 0.6 mm at -1 °C; freezing level 1700 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

Western Faces

freezing 1560–1860 m

2.1 cm new snow · freezing level 1560–1860 m · 0.16 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow (high)

⚠ models diverge: wind 9.1 vs 20.8 km/h (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2050 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-12 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -8° 13 WNW 56 0.1k 100 0.3 0.1 1560
07:00 -3° -8° 13 NW 54 0.1k 100 0.1 0.0 1560
08:00 -3° -7° 12 NW 53 0.1k 100 0.0 0.0 1580
09:00 -3° -7° 10 NW 48 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1620
10:00 -2° -6° 9 NW 44 0.1k 100 0.1 0.1 1720
11:00 -2° -6° 8 NW 41 0.6k 100 0.7 0.5 1760
12:00 -1° -4° 9 NW 41 3.9k 100 0.4 0.2 1800
13:00 -1° -4° 9 NW 42 5.2k 100 0.6 0.3 1780
14:00 -1° -5° 9 NW 46 4.3k 100 0.5 0.2 1810
15:00 -1° -5° 10 NW 45 3.0k 100 0.7 0.3 1850
16:00 -1° -5° 9 NW 43 0.2k 100 0.5 0.1 1850
17:00 -2° -5° 9 WNW 40 0.1k 100 0.2 0.0 1850
18:00 -2° -5° 8 WNW 37 0.2k 100 0.6 0.1 1860

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 80 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 — watch severity

rain-on-snow: 0.7 mm at -1 °C; freezing level 1850 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

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.