Snowy Mountains · backcountry conditions

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

Generated Sun 16 Aug 2026, 17:30 (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 2026-08-16 (today)
Dividing Range: report 2026-08-16 (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 -7.0° at 06:50 · refroze after yesterday's thaw — expect firm/icy early

Thredbo Top Station 1957 m

11 min ago

1.3° ▼2.3°/3h feels -3° · 11 NNE (19 g) km/h ▼2/3h · 92% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Perisher Valley 1738 m

11 min ago

2.1° ▼1.9°/3h feels 0° · 4 NE (6 g) km/h ▼2/3h · 95% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Cabramurra 1482 m

11 min ago

5.4° ▼3.4°/3h feels 0° · 20 E (30 g) km/h ▲13/3h · 85% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Thredbo Village 1380 m · Non-AWS

3 h ago

8.5° →0.0°/2h feels 6° · 7 S (? g) km/h →0/2h · 68% 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 2020–2370 m

freezing level 2020–2370 m · 0.14 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 3 vs 80% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1890 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -6° -10° 2 E 12 4.6k 1 0.0 0.0 2080
07:00 -6° -10° 3 E 13 3.1k 1 0.0 0.0 2050
08:00 -3° -6° 4 E 14 2.4k 1 0.0 0.0 2030
09:00 3 ENE 16 2.2k 1 0.0 0.0 2020
10:00 2 NE 16 2.7k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 1 NNE 14 3.2k 0 0.0 0.0 2150
12:00 1 N 13 3.0k 3 0.0 0.0 2230
13:00 1 NW 11 2.8k 13 0.0 0.0 2280
14:00 0 N 9 2.9k 85 0.0 0.0 2340
15:00 0 NE 10 2.4k 100 0.0 0.0 2370
16:00 1 E 11 2.7k 100 0.0 0.0 2360
17:00 -1° 3 E 12 3.0k 100 0.0 0.0 2300
18:00 -3° 4 E 16 0.5k 87 0.0 0.0 2210

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 520 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -6.2→6.3 °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

Charlotte Pass

freezing 2020–2370 m

freezing level 2020–2370 m · 0.13 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 35 vs 80% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1760 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -4° -8° 2 NW 9 80.4k 1 0.0 0.0 2080
07:00 -4° -8° 3 NW 9 82.7k 2 0.0 0.0 2050
08:00 -1° -4° 4 NNW 10 21.4k 1 0.0 0.0 2030
09:00 4 NNE 16 5.1k 1 0.0 0.0 2020
10:00 6 NE 20 3.1k 1 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 7 NE 22 2.9k 1 0.0 0.0 2150
12:00 5 NE 21 3.8k 35 0.0 0.0 2230
13:00 5 ENE 18 5.4k 76 0.0 0.0 2280
14:00 6 ENE 20 3.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2340
15:00 6 ENE 19 2.4k 100 0.1 0.0 2370
16:00 5 E 18 2.5k 100 0.4 0.0 2360
17:00 -1° 4 E 15 2.9k 100 0.3 0.0 2300
18:00 -3° 4 NNE 10 0.2k 100 0.1 0.0 2210

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 180 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 3.8 °C; freezing level 2360 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 — high severity

warming -4.2→6.2 °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

Dead Horse Gap / Rams Head

freezing 2060–2300 m

freezing level 2060–2300 m · 0.04 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 16 vs 71% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1580 m · loads SE · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -2° -6° 3 N 10 82.1k 0 0.0 0.0 2180
07:00 -2° -5° 3 N 9 82.0k 0 0.0 0.0 2120
08:00 -2° 4 N 10 81.9k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
09:00 3 NNE 14 81.9k 0 0.0 0.0 2060
10:00 4 NE 15 11.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 4 NE 17 5.6k 0 0.0 0.0 2140
12:00 3 NE 16 3.5k 16 0.0 0.0 2210
13:00 2 ENE 13 2.4k 84 0.0 0.0 2250
14:00 4 E 15 1.4k 100 0.0 0.0 2290
15:00 5 E 19 1.1k 99 0.0 0.0 2300
16:00 4 E 19 2.1k 100 0.1 0.0 2280
17:00 4 E 16 2.5k 38 0.0 0.0 2260
18:00 -2° 4 NNE 12 0.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2200

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 880 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -2→7.9 °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

Guthega access

freezing 2020–2370 m

freezing level 2020–2370 m · 0.02 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 25 vs 80% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1640 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -6° 2 W 8 1.5k 2 0.0 0.0 2080
07:00 -3° -7° 2 W 8 1.4k 5 0.0 0.0 2050
08:00 -3° 3 NW 10 1.5k 3 0.0 0.0 2030
09:00 3 NNE 12 2.1k 2 0.0 0.0 2020
10:00 8 NE 22 2.4k 2 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 9 NE 26 3.0k 2 0.0 0.0 2150
12:00 8 ENE 25 5.5k 25 0.0 0.0 2230
13:00 9 ENE 26 13.6k 61 0.0 0.0 2280
14:00 10 ENE 28 3.1k 72 0.0 0.0 2340
15:00 9 E 26 1.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2370
16:00 9 E 23 1.6k 100 0.1 0.0 2360
17:00 6 E 19 2.5k 100 0.4 0.0 2300
18:00 -1° 2 ENE 9 0.2k 100 0.2 0.0 2210

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 160 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 2.6 °C; freezing level 2300 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 — high severity

warming -3.4→7.6 °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 2060–2300 m

freezing level 2060–2300 m · 0.03 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 6 vs 71% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2228 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -6° -10° 3 E 14 77.8k 0 0.0 0.0 2180
07:00 -6° -9° 3 E 14 80.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2120
08:00 -2° -6° 4 ENE 14 77.7k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
09:00 -2° 2 NE 15 18.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2060
10:00 -1° 1 N 13 8.5k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 1 NW 10 8.1k 0 0.0 0.0 2140
12:00 2 NW 8 9.0k 6 0.0 0.0 2210
13:00 3 WNW 11 7.4k 24 0.0 0.0 2250
14:00 2 W 10 5.3k 74 0.0 0.0 2290
15:00 1 WSW 10 4.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2300
16:00 0 S 10 5.1k 94 0.0 0.0 2280
17:00 -2° 1 ENE 10 5.4k 38 0.0 0.0 2260
18:00 -2° -5° 3 ENE 16 0.8k 45 0.0 0.0 2200

▲ 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.

▲ icy surface (melt-freeze) — watch severity

melt-freeze: 1.2 °C at 09:00 then -1.7 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — watch severity

warming -5.8→4.9 °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

Perisher access

freezing 2020–2370 m

freezing level 2020–2370 m · 0.02 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, rain on snow, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 25 vs 80% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1720 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -6° 2 W 8 1.5k 2 0.0 0.0 2080
07:00 -3° -7° 2 W 8 1.4k 5 0.0 0.0 2050
08:00 -3° 3 NW 10 1.5k 3 0.0 0.0 2030
09:00 3 NNE 12 2.1k 2 0.0 0.0 2020
10:00 8 NE 22 2.4k 2 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 9 NE 26 3.0k 2 0.0 0.0 2150
12:00 8 ENE 25 5.5k 25 0.0 0.0 2230
13:00 9 ENE 26 13.6k 61 0.0 0.0 2280
14:00 10 ENE 28 3.1k 72 0.0 0.0 2340
15:00 9 E 26 1.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2370
16:00 9 E 23 1.6k 100 0.1 0.0 2360
17:00 6 E 19 2.5k 100 0.4 0.0 2300
18:00 -1° 2 ENE 9 0.2k 100 0.2 0.0 2210

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 160 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 2.6 °C; freezing level 2300 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 — high severity

warming -3.4→7.6 °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 2060–2260 m

freezing level 2060–2260 m · 0.03 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 6 vs 58% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2100 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -4° -8° 3 E 14 77.8k 0 0.0 0.0 2150
07:00 -4° -8° 3 E 14 80.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2160
08:00 -1° -4° 4 ENE 14 77.7k 0 0.0 0.0 2110
09:00 2 NE 15 18.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2060
10:00 1 N 13 8.5k 0 0.0 0.0 2100
11:00 1 NW 10 8.1k 0 0.0 0.0 2100
12:00 2 NW 8 9.0k 6 0.0 0.0 2190
13:00 3 WNW 11 7.4k 24 0.0 0.0 2230
14:00 2 W 10 5.3k 74 0.0 0.0 2250
15:00 1 WSW 10 4.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2230
16:00 0 S 10 5.1k 94 0.0 0.0 2250
17:00 1 ENE 10 5.4k 38 0.0 0.0 2260
18:00 -3° 3 ENE 16 0.8k 45 0.0 0.0 2250

▲ 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.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -4.2→6.5 °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

Western Faces

freezing 2060–2300 m

freezing level 2060–2300 m · 0.03 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 6 vs 71% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2050 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-16 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -4° -8° 3 E 14 77.8k 0 0.0 0.0 2180
07:00 -4° -7° 3 E 14 80.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2120
08:00 -4° 4 ENE 14 77.7k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
09:00 2 NE 15 18.3k 0 0.0 0.0 2060
10:00 1 N 13 8.5k 0 0.0 0.0 2080
11:00 1 NW 10 8.1k 0 0.0 0.0 2140
12:00 2 NW 8 9.0k 6 0.0 0.0 2210
13:00 3 WNW 11 7.4k 24 0.0 0.0 2250
14:00 2 W 10 5.3k 74 0.0 0.0 2290
15:00 1 WSW 10 4.9k 100 0.0 0.0 2300
16:00 0 S 10 5.1k 94 0.0 0.0 2280
17:00 1 ENE 10 5.4k 38 0.0 0.0 2260
18:00 -3° 3 ENE 16 0.8k 45 0.0 0.0 2200

▲ 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.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -3.9→6.8 °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

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.