Avalanches: None.
Weather: Thin clouds increased through the day. High of 45/24. SW winds 20-25mph, gusting to 45.
Snowpack: Upper 5-10 cm became wet at lower elevations by PM. Began to refreeze around 3p.m.
Date: 03/10/2017
Another very warm day on tap, though we will see high clouds spanning across our forecast area. These clouds will help trap daytime heating and contribute to even warmer temperatures than yesterday. West southwest winds will remain generally light at ridge top, with a few moderate gusts ahead of a fast moving disturbance cutting across our area tonight. Clouds will increase toward the afternoon and evening, with a quick 1-4” of snowfall possible overnight. As system moves out tomorrow, sunny skies will return.
High Temperature: 45
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
Snow: 0″
Low Temperature: 24
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 1-4″
High Temperature: 37
Wind Speed: 10-15
Wind Direction: N
Sky Cover: Decreasing clouds
Snow: 0-1″
Date: 03/10/2017
Another very warm day on tap, though we will see high clouds spanning across our forecast area. These clouds will help trap daytime heating and contribute to even warmer temperatures than yesterday. West southwest winds will remain generally light at ridge top, with a few moderate gusts ahead of a fast moving disturbance cutting across our area tonight. Clouds will increase toward the afternoon and evening, with a quick 1-4” of snowfall possible overnight. As system moves out tomorrow, sunny skies will return.
High Temperature: 45
Wind Speed: 10-15
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
Snow: 0″
Low Temperature: 25
Wind Speed: 20-30
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 1-4
High Temperature:
Wind Speed:
Wind Direction:
Sky Cover:
Snow:
Avalanches: large cornice fall NE aspect, Mid size wet/dry loose slides on southerly’s aspects all in Redwell Basin
Weather: Clear with hint of hays from the west (dust), hot in the lower to mid elevations with, increasing moderate winds with strong gusts out for the NW.
Snowpack: The wind has affected most slopes W-NW-E NTL and ATL with wind board, textured and sustrugi snow surfaces. NE facing slope at 10,500ft HS 190cm with F hardness 30-40cm down to a faceted interface 4F to 1F blow. It looked as though the weak persisting slab structure has faceted out. Strong solar on S-SE slopes had produced roller balls from hot temp the day prier. No other instabilities with observed.
Avalanches: numerous D1 wet loose on SE-S-SW facing slopes.
Weather: clear, 20mph westerly breeze at ridgetop kept ambient temp feeling cold, but strong solar and temps softened all but due north
Snowpack: Did not dig, but all but northerly snow surfaces became moist with temperatures and solar. Snow grains are transforming to granular corn where previous winds last week kept new snow from acccumulating. New snow still has a few more days of freeze/thaw before proper corn develops on e-S-W facing terrain. On shady northerly slopes, surface snow has faceted 20-40cm but underlying snow reamins slabby above facets.
Avalanches: Observed about 20 skier triggered and natural wet loose avalanches, mostly D1 to D1.5 in size, although a couple were large enough to bury someone. These were primarily on steep and windsheltered E to SE to S aspects NTL. It seems higher elevations got so blasted by winds that the surface was too dense or crusted for wet concerns under today’s weather. See photos.
Weather: Warm, few/scattered thin clouds. Light winds.
Snowpack: On SE to S aspects NTL, there was 3″ to 10″ of very wet to slushy snow over a firm frozen crust, sliding easily steep slopes.
A pit on a NE aspect NTL showed a mix of hard propagating and non-propagating results on facets below a crust about a foot deep. (ECTP22, ECTN x 3, PST 80/100 END). Above treeline, it looked like a number of suspect northeasterly slopes saw some amount of persistent slab scouring during the recent extreme wind event.
Skier triggered “slub” in action.
D1.5’s. SE aspect NTL
D2 SE aspect NTL.
S aspect NTL. Slow moving skier triggered wet loose avalanches, D1.5. Some failed with a little slab-like propagation.
NE aspect ATL. Old persistent slab crown visible in the shadows. Note the slab erosion textures across much of the face.
D1.5 SE aspect NTL
Mix of non and propagating results on buried faceted crust 30 cm deep. PST 80/100 END shown here.
D1.5, S aspect NTL.
Date: 03/09/2017
Another warm, spring day is on tap today with temperatures at 11,000 feet and above climbing into the mid to upper 30s today and tomorrow. We will see an increase of westerly wind increase midday, especially near ridge top, before decreasing toward sunset. Tomorrow looks even warmer, before temperatures moderate slightly. Next chance of significant precipitation is 7-10 days away.
High Temperature: 38
Wind Speed: 10-20 G30
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Snow: 0″
Low Temperature: 14
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SE
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Snow: 0″
High Temperature: 41
Wind Speed: 15-25
Wind Direction: SW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 0″
Avalanches:
Weather: hot again…sorta. Warm on the South facing skin track with light breeze until 11,000. Temps in the upper 20’s with strong solar under clear skis. Above 11,000 there was a strong N wind blowing up to 50 MPH at 12,000.
Snowpack: 2 cms of new snow from surprise snow squall last night over semi-supportive wind and sun crust. Posed some gloppy skin issues going from sun to shade in the trees. Above TL the new snow added to previous wind loaded slopes, but isolated to right at/below ridge line. All aspects from N-NE-E-SE where open and less treed looked blown out, wind jacked with raised tracks in area viewed. Below new wind load (hundred feet below ridge line) quickly transitioned to wind buff, slightly breakable almost but not quite chalky. Lots of sustrugi everywhere.
Skinning up a more sheltered South facing slope at 11,000 the new skiff was moist and sun crust below was wet. Wetness did not go below the old 4 cm thick crust.
Steep N facing below treeline maintained dry snow, and faceting was evident. Some areas even felt a bit “trap door” and punchy, but this was not consistent.
