Snowy Mountains · backcountry conditions

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

Generated Mon 17 Aug 2026, 13:00 (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 2026-08-17 (today)
Dividing Range: report 2026-08-17 (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 -3.4° at 01:20 · refroze after yesterday's thaw — expect firm/icy early

Thredbo Top Station 1957 m

11 min ago

2.5° ▲3.5°/3h feels -2° · 11 NNW (13 g) km/h ▼11/3h · 86% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Perisher Valley 1738 m

11 min ago

4.6° ▲2.8°/3h feels 1° · 7 NNE (13 g) km/h ▼4/3h · 63% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Cabramurra 1482 m

11 min ago

7.7° ▲3.7°/3h feels 2° · 19 E (24 g) km/h ▼7/3h · 64% RH · 0.0 mm since 9am

Thredbo Village 1380 m · Non-AWS

4 h ago

2.5° →0.0°/4h feels 1° · 0 CALM (? g) km/h →0/4h · 92% RH · 0.3 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 1880–2240 m

freezing level 1880–2240 m · 0.10 m base · derived flags: icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 10 vs 84% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1890 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -7° 6 E 21 1.8k 32 0.0 0.0 1970
07:00 -3° -7° 6 E 21 1.1k 43 0.0 0.0 1920
08:00 -4° 5 E 22 5.0k 33 0.0 0.0 1880
09:00 -1° 3 E 21 8.2k 20 0.0 0.0 1880
10:00 3 ENE 20 80.8k 13 0.0 0.0 1920
11:00 3 ENE 19 80.8k 13 0.0 0.0 2020
12:00 2 ENE 19 80.9k 10 0.0 0.0 2110
13:00 1 NE 16 80.9k 34 0.0 0.0 2200
14:00 1 NE 13 83.4k 40 0.0 0.0 2220
15:00 1 NE 14 80.9k 45 0.0 0.0 2240
16:00 3 NE 18 80.9k 70 0.0 0.0 2240
17:00 -2° 3 E 19 78.4k 41 0.0 0.0 2210
18:00 -1° -4° 3 E 17 75.3k 14 0.0 0.0 2160

▲ icy surface (melt-freeze) — watch severity

melt-freeze: 1.7 °C at 09:00 then -1.4 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -3.3→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 1 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Charlotte Pass

freezing 1880–2240 m

freezing level 1880–2240 m · 0.11 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 6 vs 84% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1760 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -4° -7° 4 N 11 0.6k 48 0.0 0.0 1970
07:00 -4° -7° 4 N 12 0.5k 41 0.0 0.0 1920
08:00 -1° -4° 4 N 13 1.4k 37 0.0 0.0 1880
09:00 -2° 4 NNE 16 10.3k 16 0.0 0.0 1880
10:00 6 NE 19 31.5k 14 0.0 0.0 1920
11:00 7 NE 21 42.9k 13 0.0 0.0 2020
12:00 6 ENE 22 79.8k 6 0.0 0.0 2110
13:00 6 ENE 20 82.2k 18 0.0 0.0 2200
14:00 6 ENE 20 82.2k 24 0.0 0.0 2220
15:00 7 ENE 22 79.9k 41 0.0 0.0 2240
16:00 8 ENE 23 79.9k 35 0.0 0.0 2240
17:00 -2° 5 ENE 22 77.0k 16 0.0 0.0 2210
18:00 -3° 2 NNW 12 76.9k 5 0.0 0.0 2160

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 480 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: 1.3 °C at 09:00 then -0.5 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -3.8→5.3 °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 1 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Dead Horse Gap / Rams Head

freezing 1920–2270 m

freezing level 1920–2270 m · 0.03 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 21 vs 72% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1580 m · loads SE · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -3° -7° 8 NNE 17 0.9k 37 0.0 0.0 2030
07:00 -3° -6° 7 NNE 17 0.5k 27 0.0 0.0 1990
08:00 -3° 8 NNE 18 0.6k 27 0.0 0.0 1940
09:00 6 NE 20 7.4k 4 0.0 0.0 1920
10:00 4 ENE 22 14.1k 8 0.0 0.0 1970
11:00 4 ENE 18 81.5k 8 0.0 0.0 2040
12:00 4 ENE 19 81.5k 21 0.0 0.0 2120
13:00 3 NE 18 81.6k 91 0.0 0.0 2210
14:00 6 ENE 21 81.6k 59 0.0 0.0 2270
15:00 8 ENE 24 81.6k 38 0.0 0.0 2270
16:00 9 ENE 26 79.2k 45 0.0 0.0 2260
17:00 6 ENE 24 76.2k 25 0.0 0.0 2230
18:00 -4° 5 N 15 72.0k 2 0.0 0.0 2180

▲ poor visibility / whiteout — high severity

poor — visibility 500 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: 0.5 °C at 08:00 then -0.5 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -3→7.3 °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 1 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Guthega access

freezing 1880–2240 m

freezing level 1880–2240 m · 0.01 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 6 vs 84% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1640 m · loads NE · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° -4° 2 WNW 6 0.9k 98 0.0 0.0 1970
07:00 -1° -3° 2 NW 7 1.0k 86 0.0 0.0 1920
08:00 -2° 3 NNW 13 1.1k 66 0.0 0.0 1880
09:00 -1° 3 NNE 13 1.8k 59 0.0 0.0 1880
10:00 7 ENE 20 6.9k 23 0.0 0.0 1920
11:00 9 ENE 25 78.3k 18 0.0 0.0 2020
12:00 9 ENE 26 80.8k 6 0.0 0.0 2110
13:00 10 E 26 80.9k 16 0.0 0.0 2200
14:00 10 E 27 80.9k 20 0.0 0.0 2220
15:00 11 E 27 78.4k 27 0.0 0.0 2240
16:00 11 ENE 27 78.5k 21 0.0 0.0 2240
17:00 4 E 24 75.4k 5 0.0 0.0 2210
18:00 -2° 1 WSW 10 75.4k 4 0.0 0.0 2160

▲ 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 -1.1→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 1 min ago · forecast (FCST), not measured. Check it: raw forecast · raw ICON · Windy here

Main Range (Kosciuszko)

freezing 1920–2270 m

freezing level 1920–2270 m · 0.01 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 3 vs 72% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2228 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -6° -10° 7 E 25 0.8k 41 0.0 0.0 2030
07:00 -6° -10° 7 E 25 0.5k 27 0.0 0.0 1990
08:00 -2° -6° 5 E 24 2.2k 26 0.0 0.0 1940
09:00 -3° 3 ENE 22 36.5k 5 0.0 0.0 1920
10:00 -1° 1 NE 19 82.4k 2 0.0 0.0 1970
11:00 3 N 17 82.4k 4 0.0 0.0 2040
12:00 3 NW 17 82.4k 3 0.0 0.0 2120
13:00 5 NW 16 69.5k 42 0.0 0.0 2210
14:00 5 NW 16 27.0k 43 0.0 0.0 2270
15:00 4 NNW 15 13.0k 42 0.0 0.0 2270
16:00 4 N 19 82.5k 38 0.0 0.0 2260
17:00 -2° 2 NE 19 77.4k 72 0.0 0.0 2230
18:00 -3° -6° 3 ENE 17 74.2k 20 0.0 0.0 2180

▲ 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.

▲ icy surface (melt-freeze) — watch severity

melt-freeze: 0.8 °C at 09:00 then -2.6 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -5.9→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

Perisher access

freezing 1880–2240 m

freezing level 1880–2240 m · 0.01 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 6 vs 84% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

1720 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -1° -4° 2 WNW 6 0.9k 98 0.0 0.0 1970
07:00 -1° -3° 2 NW 7 1.0k 86 0.0 0.0 1920
08:00 -2° 3 NNW 13 1.1k 66 0.0 0.0 1880
09:00 -1° 3 NNE 13 1.8k 59 0.0 0.0 1880
10:00 7 ENE 20 6.9k 23 0.0 0.0 1920
11:00 9 ENE 25 78.3k 18 0.0 0.0 2020
12:00 9 ENE 26 80.8k 6 0.0 0.0 2110
13:00 10 E 26 80.9k 16 0.0 0.0 2200
14:00 10 E 27 80.9k 20 0.0 0.0 2220
15:00 11 E 27 78.4k 27 0.0 0.0 2240
16:00 11 ENE 27 78.5k 21 0.0 0.0 2240
17:00 4 E 24 75.4k 5 0.0 0.0 2210
18:00 -2° 1 WSW 10 75.4k 4 0.0 0.0 2160

▲ 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 -1.1→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

Watsons Crags

freezing 2000–2230 m

freezing level 2000–2230 m · 0.01 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 3 vs 89% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2100 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -4° -8° 7 E 25 0.8k 41 0.0 0.0 2030
07:00 -4° -8° 7 E 25 0.5k 27 0.0 0.0 2010
08:00 -1° -4° 5 E 24 2.2k 26 0.0 0.0 2010
09:00 -1° 3 ENE 22 36.5k 5 0.0 0.0 2080
10:00 1 NE 19 82.4k 2 0.0 0.0 2050
11:00 3 N 17 82.4k 4 0.0 0.0 2000
12:00 3 NW 17 82.4k 3 0.0 0.0 2090
13:00 5 NW 16 69.5k 42 0.0 0.0 2150
14:00 5 NW 16 27.0k 43 0.0 0.0 2180
15:00 4 NNW 15 13.0k 42 0.0 0.0 2230
16:00 4 N 19 82.5k 38 0.0 0.0 2230
17:00 -1° 2 NE 19 77.4k 72 0.0 0.0 2200
18:00 -1° -4° 3 ENE 17 74.2k 20 0.0 0.0 2160

▲ 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.

▲ icy surface (melt-freeze) — watch severity

melt-freeze: 2.4 °C at 09:00 then -1 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -4.3→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

Western Faces

freezing 1920–2270 m

freezing level 1920–2270 m · 0.01 m base · derived flags: poor visibility / whiteout, icy surface (melt-freeze), wet-loose warming (high)

⚠ models diverge: cloud 3 vs 72% (best-match vs ICON) — trust those numbers less

2050 m · loads E · board for 2026-08-17 · 06:00-18:00 local

hour temp chill wind dir gust vis cloud precip snow frz.lvl
06:00 -4° -8° 7 E 25 0.8k 41 0.0 0.0 2030
07:00 -4° -8° 7 E 25 0.5k 27 0.0 0.0 1990
08:00 -4° 5 E 24 2.2k 26 0.0 0.0 1940
09:00 3 ENE 22 36.5k 5 0.0 0.0 1920
10:00 1 NE 19 82.4k 2 0.0 0.0 1970
11:00 3 N 17 82.4k 4 0.0 0.0 2040
12:00 3 NW 17 82.4k 3 0.0 0.0 2120
13:00 5 NW 16 69.5k 42 0.0 0.0 2210
14:00 5 NW 16 27.0k 43 0.0 0.0 2270
15:00 4 NNW 15 13.0k 42 0.0 0.0 2270
16:00 4 N 19 82.5k 38 0.0 0.0 2260
17:00 2 NE 19 77.4k 72 0.0 0.0 2230
18:00 -1° -4° 3 ENE 17 74.2k 20 0.0 0.0 2180

▲ 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.

▲ icy surface (melt-freeze) — watch severity

melt-freeze: 2.7 °C at 09:00 then -0.7 °C at 18:00 — expect bulletproof/rime crust. Crampons + ice axe; firm slips are a top AU injury cause.

▲ wet-loose warming — high severity

warming -4→6.9 °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

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.