Snowy Mountains · backcountry conditions

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

Generated Thu 20 Aug 2026, 05:00 (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 2.5° at 18:20 · thawed yesterday, no refreeze — wet pack overnight

Thredbo Top Station 1957 m

11 min ago

3.1° ▲0.1°/3h feels -14° · 83 NNW (102 g) km/h ▲3/3h · 100% RH · 17.8 mm since 9am

Perisher Valley 1738 m

11 min ago

4.6° ▲0.2°/3h feels 1° · 11 NW (39 g) km/h ▼6/3h · 99% RH · 7.4 mm since 9am

Cabramurra 1482 m

11 min ago

6.1° ▼0.1°/3h feels -3° · 43 NNW (61 g) km/h ▲6/3h · 100% RH · 1.8 mm since 9am

Thredbo Village 1380 m · Non-AWS

14 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 6.8 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 -2° 14 NW 55 0.9k 100 1.8 0.0 2500
07:00 -1° 10 NW 47 0.8k 100 0.9 0.0 2530
08:00 9 NW 40 0.5k 100 2.2 0.0 2480
09:00 8 NW 35 0.4k 100 3.1 0.0 2480
10:00 8 NW 34 0.7k 100 1.9 0.0 2460
11:00 9 WNW 40 0.4k 100 2.3 0.0 2500
12:00 7 WNW 42 0.4k 100 2.8 0.0 2510
13:00 8 NW 40 0.4k 100 2.9 0.0 2310
14:00 10 WNW 42 0.7k 100 1.8 0.0 2370
15:00 12 NW 41 0.5k 100 2.7 0.0 2380
16:00 -1° 13 NW 45 0.7k 100 2.0 0.0 2390
17:00 -2° 16 WNW 49 0.7k 100 0.4 0.0 2390
18:00 -2° 16 WNW 52 0.3k 100 0.9 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 280 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 2.7 °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 1 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° 23 WNW 62 4.5k 100 1.1 0.0 2500
07:00 -2° 22 WNW 55 11.0k 100 0.5 0.0 2530
08:00 -2° 20 WNW 53 3.6k 100 1.2 0.0 2480
09:00 -1° 19 NW 51 2.3k 100 2.0 0.0 2480
10:00 -1° 18 NW 48 0.7k 100 1.1 0.0 2460
11:00 17 WNW 48 2.8k 100 1.0 0.0 2500
12:00 16 WNW 46 8.1k 100 1.6 0.0 2510
13:00 16 NW 45 5.0k 100 2.2 0.0 2310
14:00 17 WNW 45 3.3k 100 1.5 0.0 2370
15:00 -1° 15 NW 44 2.7k 100 1.8 0.0 2380
16:00 -1° 14 WNW 42 1.9k 100 1.8 0.0 2390
17:00 -1° 11 NW 37 2.7k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -2° 10 WNW 36 0.8k 100 0.7 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 740 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 5.5 °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 · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

✓ 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° 22 WNW 59 4.9k 100 0.7 0.0 2560
07:00 -2° 22 NW 57 10.4k 100 0.5 0.0 2530
08:00 -1° 22 NW 56 5.7k 100 0.8 0.0 2490
09:00 20 NW 54 11.5k 100 1.2 0.0 2520
10:00 20 NW 52 1.8k 100 0.6 0.0 2510
11:00 20 NW 53 8.2k 100 0.6 0.0 2540
12:00 19 NW 53 9.3k 100 1.4 0.0 2530
13:00 19 NW 51 2.6k 100 2.4 0.0 2370
14:00 19 NW 50 3.4k 100 2.0 0.0 2420
15:00 16 NW 49 3.0k 100 2.1 0.0 2430
16:00 14 NW 42 5.5k 100 1.7 0.0 2410
17:00 11 NW 37 2.4k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -1° 11 WNW 35 0.7k 100 0.8 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 700 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 3.3→6.6 °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

Guthega access

freezing 2310–2530 m

freezing level 2310–2530 m · 0.00 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wind loading, wet-loose warming (high)

✓ 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 -1° 27 WNW 74 4.5k 100 1.3 0.0 2500
07:00 -1° 24 WNW 71 3.1k 100 0.3 0.0 2530
08:00 20 WNW 62 1.5k 100 1.3 0.0 2480
09:00 17 WNW 55 1.5k 100 2.1 0.0 2480
10:00 16 WNW 49 1.1k 100 1.1 0.0 2460
11:00 18 WNW 48 0.9k 100 1.2 0.0 2500
12:00 17 WNW 51 2.0k 100 1.5 0.0 2510
13:00 17 WNW 51 5.8k 100 1.7 0.0 2310
14:00 17 WNW 51 1.5k 100 1.0 0.0 2370
15:00 18 WNW 49 1.7k 100 1.6 0.0 2380
16:00 17 WNW 53 2.9k 100 1.7 0.0 2390
17:00 14 WNW 48 1.6k 100 0.4 0.0 2390
18:00 -1° 16 WNW 49 1.0k 100 0.6 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 900 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ wind loading — watch severity

WNW wind at 27.2 km/h loads NE lee aspects — fresh wind-slab/cornices; avoid NE-facing convex rolls and lee bowls.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming 4→7.1 °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 2370–2560 m

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

⚠ models diverge: wind 7.7 vs 18.7 km/h (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

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 -4° 14 NNW 66 1.0k 100 1.2 0.0 2560
07:00 -4° 11 NNW 59 2.7k 100 1.1 0.0 2530
08:00 -3° 10 NNW 52 0.9k 100 1.8 0.0 2490
09:00 -3° 9 NNW 50 1.3k 100 2.2 0.0 2520
10:00 -3° 10 NNW 49 1.6k 100 1.3 0.0 2510
11:00 -2° 8 NNW 47 2.0k 100 1.7 0.0 2540
12:00 -1° 8 NNW 44 1.5k 100 2.8 0.0 2530
13:00 -1° 9 NNW 51 3.4k 100 3.7 0.0 2370
14:00 -2° 10 NNW 51 1.6k 100 2.2 0.0 2420
15:00 -3° 9 NNW 51 2.4k 100 2.6 0.0 2430
16:00 -3° 11 NNW 47 1.2k 100 1.7 0.0 2410
17:00 -4° 13 NW 55 0.6k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -4° 12 NW 56 0.3k 100 1.0 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 340 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 · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wind loading, wet-loose warming (high)

✓ 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 -1° 27 WNW 74 4.5k 100 1.3 0.0 2500
07:00 -1° 24 WNW 71 3.1k 100 0.3 0.0 2530
08:00 20 WNW 62 1.5k 100 1.3 0.0 2480
09:00 17 WNW 55 1.5k 100 2.1 0.0 2480
10:00 16 WNW 49 1.1k 100 1.1 0.0 2460
11:00 18 WNW 48 0.9k 100 1.2 0.0 2500
12:00 17 WNW 51 2.0k 100 1.5 0.0 2510
13:00 17 WNW 51 5.8k 100 1.7 0.0 2310
14:00 17 WNW 51 1.5k 100 1.0 0.0 2370
15:00 18 WNW 49 1.7k 100 1.6 0.0 2380
16:00 17 WNW 53 2.9k 100 1.7 0.0 2390
17:00 14 WNW 48 1.6k 100 0.4 0.0 2390
18:00 -1° 16 WNW 49 1.0k 100 0.6 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 900 m (<1 km) — navigation + terrain assessment hard; whiteout is a leading AU rescue cause. Carry a compass/GPS bearing plan and known bail lines.

▲ wind loading — watch severity

WNW wind at 27.2 km/h loads E lee aspects — fresh wind-slab/cornices; avoid E-facing convex rolls and lee bowls.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming 4→7.1 °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 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 -2° 14 NNW 66 1.0k 100 1.2 0.0 2510
07:00 -2° 11 NNW 59 2.7k 100 1.1 0.0 2580
08:00 -2° 10 NNW 52 0.9k 100 1.8 0.0 2500
09:00 -1° 9 NNW 50 1.3k 100 2.2 0.0 2470
10:00 -1° 10 NNW 49 1.6k 100 1.3 0.0 2460
11:00 8 NNW 47 2.0k 100 1.7 0.0 2420
12:00 8 NNW 44 1.5k 100 2.8 0.0 2520
13:00 9 NNW 51 3.4k 100 3.7 0.0 2350
14:00 10 NNW 51 1.6k 100 2.2 0.0 2320
15:00 -1° 9 NNW 51 2.4k 100 2.6 0.0 2330
16:00 -2° 11 NNW 47 1.2k 100 1.7 0.0 2360
17:00 -2° 13 NW 55 0.6k 100 0.3 0.0 2380
18:00 -2° 12 NW 56 0.3k 100 1.0 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 340 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 diverge: wind 7.7 vs 18.7 km/h (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

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 -2° 14 NNW 66 1.0k 100 1.2 0.0 2560
07:00 -2° 11 NNW 59 2.7k 100 1.1 0.0 2530
08:00 -1° 10 NNW 52 0.9k 100 1.8 0.0 2490
09:00 -1° 9 NNW 50 1.3k 100 2.2 0.0 2520
10:00 10 NNW 49 1.6k 100 1.3 0.0 2510
11:00 8 NNW 47 2.0k 100 1.7 0.0 2540
12:00 8 NNW 44 1.5k 100 2.8 0.0 2530
13:00 9 NNW 51 3.4k 100 3.7 0.0 2370
14:00 10 NNW 51 1.6k 100 2.2 0.0 2420
15:00 -1° 9 NNW 51 2.4k 100 2.6 0.0 2430
16:00 -1° 11 NNW 47 1.2k 100 1.7 0.0 2410
17:00 -2° 13 NW 55 0.6k 100 0.3 0.0 2390
18:00 -2° 12 NW 56 0.3k 100 1.0 0.0 2460

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 340 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.