WEATHER: Mixed bag of weather: Visibility ranged from 0.1 km to 2 km. Rates of snowfall ranged from S-1 to S2. Winds ranged from calm to light. No snow was transported.
SNOWPACK: Previous snow totals ranged from 1cm to 4cm.
UPLOADS:
WEATHER: ELEVATION: 9300’ to 10,200′
ASPECT: SE – E
Broken to overcast skies, snowing S2, moderate west winds at 9,900’ (but strong to extreme winds at Snodgrass trailhead), temp 0ºC. Winds seemed to ease a bit through afternoon. Pulses of convective activity passed through all afternoon, but total accumulation was about 2cm by 3:30PM.
SNOWPACK: Class activity for day was a full profile. Pit was located at 10,200’ on an east aspect, 17º slope. (See weather info above.) HS 88cm; HN24 2cm (rimed stellars); Tsurf -3.5ºC. Snowpack was a combination of facet layers, with 3mm DH in the bottom 10cm. Most dramatic interface was 25cm below surface; but didn’t appear to be buried SH and did not react to compression tests (although it was a 17º slope). Most interestingly, the facet layer from 10cm to 37cm was 1F and may have been sintering.
AVALANCHES: none yet
WEATHER: overcast in am, snowing and blowing in afternoon, clearing out to broken skies at sunset.
SNOWPACK: 7cms of new snow on West slopes at 10k above townsite. Resting on stout MF crust (10cm thick) on solar aspects. Strong winds blowing new snow around from NW at ridge top and down valley N winds at valley floor. No new instabilities noted (yet).
Date: 02/21/2015
The atmosphere has had a lot of work on its hands to carve a trough and moisten the atmosphere after the long stretch of dry weather we have had. Yesterday was the preamble, the first wave of cooler, moister air to prime the pump for snow production tonight and tomorrow. Today expect showery precipitation and gusty west winds above treeline once again, but as the day progresses, more steady snow should fall, aided by daytime heating and upstream moisture finally arriving. Tomorrow is our big day. NOAA has hoisted a Winter Storm Warning for the upper Gunnison Basin, and we have the potential for 1-2 feet of snow by Monday. Looking ahead, more snow hangs in the forecast.
High Temperature: 20-25
Wind Speed: 10-20 G40
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 3-6″
Low Temperature: 10-15
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: S, SW
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 3-6″
High Temperature: 15-20
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: S
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 6-12″
SNOWPACK: Significant pre-frontal winds (strong to extreme at all elevations) worked the snow surface over. Trace of new snow. Maybe an inch of pinecone/pineneedle accumulation.
Date: 02/20/2015
Today will be a fun day to be in the mountains and watch a storm roll in, and looks to remain unsettled for the next several days. Although potential snow accumulations look to be quite variable, a good 8-12+” should fall across our forecast area, with higher amounts possible by Monday morning. A series of disturbances will dig down from the Pacific Northwest, with the first impacting our area by this afternoon, as a cold front drops from the North. Look for increasing westerly winds throughout the day, and snow accumulation to remain light by sunset.
High Temperature: 30-35
Wind Speed: 10-20 G40
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
Snow: 1-3″
Low Temperature: 10-15
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 2-4″
High Temperature: 25-30
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: SW, W
Sky Cover: Overcast
Snow: 3-6″
WEATHER: Clear Sky. At ridgeline winds where westerly, moderate with strong gusts. Winds died down in the afternoon. Warmer temps then the last few days.
SNOWPACK/AVALANCHE OBS: Snow surfaces on south facing slopes surprisingly softened throughout the day even with the morning winds. Slopes with an easterly tilt below ridgelines and in crossloaded gullies had a couple nice creamy inches of blown snow from last Mondays dust on crust. These wind loaded pockets where up to 4″ deep and didn’t produce any cracking or movement while skiing. lots of snowmobile high marking and some ski tracks on NE faceting terrain at the same elevations with no avalanche results.
AVALANCHES: No signs of instability
WEATHER: Light to Moderate west winds. Few clouds. Temps rose to 39F at 10,000 ft, and 27F at 12,000 ft.
SNOWPACK: The fresh surface snow was moist midday on SE to SW aspects.
On E to SE aspects near/above treeline: A few 4″ thick pockets 1F recently drifted snow in the upper 15 feet of start zones, well bonded. This surface was small (<.3mm) windpacked rounds (RGwp). Most of the terrain was 1-2″ of decomposing fragmented particles (DF, DFbk) with .3mm near surface facets growing, over the Feb 16th Meltfreeze crust, which is thick and supportive.
On South aspect near treeline: 1mm radiation recrystallization facets over 1” of moist snow, over the February 16th MFcr. May have gotten cooked later in the day on steep slopes? Still easily visible on low angle late in the day. No obs from steep terrain
On West aspect above treeline: Top 1/3 of start zones blown out to Feb 16th meltfreeze crust, which is wind scalloped texture. Bottom 2/3 of run holding the last 2” of fresh snow over Feb 16th MFcr, sastrugi texture, looked like some near surface faceting but didn’t pull out hand lens. No recent windloading visible across the whole wall.
Date: 02/19/2015
Another beautiful, sunny day with some increasing high clouds is in store for today, but let’s jump ahead to the real excitement – this weekend. A shortwave from the Pacific Northwest dives across the Northern Rockies on Friday. Clouds thicken overnight, and snowfall kicks off sometime late Friday afternoon as the associated cold front marches north to south across the state. A reinforcing wave arrives on Saturday, contributing to a prolonged period of snowfall through Sunday. Model runs keep pushing the snowfall further east of us, and its looking like a ruler will suffice for the Elk Mountains, whereas a yardstick might be more useful for a few lucky spots on or east of the Continental Divide. A closed low splits west off of the trough on Sunday, with potential for continued snowfall through Monday.
High Temperature: 33
Wind Speed: 7-17
Wind Direction: W, NW
Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
Snow: 0
Low Temperature: 20
Wind Speed: 5-15
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
Snow: 0
High Temperature: 32
Wind Speed: 10-20
Wind Direction: W
Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
Snow: 0-2″
Guide: Donny
Date: 15-02-18
Location: Wash Gulch to Gothic and back
Weather: High, thin clouds; no precip; strong solar radiation; moderate winds from north, temps in the 20s in AM, low 30s in PM.
Snow / Avy: Less than 1cm of new snow; heavily wind-effected (scoured, loaded, crusted, drifted…); surface was everything from a supporting crust up to 5cm thick to wind-scalloped but soft to drifted in and soft.
