Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 04/10/2019
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: Fresh Refresh
Aspect: North, North East, East, South East, South
Elevation: 9,200′ – 11,500′
Avalanches: nada
Weather: Overcast skies with snow ranging from S-1 to S2 from 1pm to 430pm. Winds had already shifted to the NW by 1pm. Wind speeds were generally in the 10’s but some gusting reaching up to 30 at ridgetop at 11,500′. Precip fell as rimed particles and some graupel.
Snowpack: New snow accumulations reached 5″ at 430pm. Just over 2″ fell between 1 and 430pm. Poked around on a variety of aspects at ridgetop looking for fresh drifts with deepest being around 6 or 7″, Very minor cracking, 1 foot, on the driftiest features. All aspects, expect due north above 11,200ish” had a crust at new/old interface. Southerly aspects near treeline had crust 3″ thick underneath the new snow. Steepest terrain features produced minor skier triggered sloughs.
Free water on NE facing slopes had perculated down from 20 to 40cm from the surfaces. Most slopes above 11,000′ regardless of aspect had drained/froze any liquid water by the PM. Upper snowpack below around 11,000′ continued to hold moist snow below a very thin, weak crust from the previous night’s warm temperatures.
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