Quick report
We found 6-12" of new snow that appeared well bonded in many areas except on sheltered, shadier slopes that held weak facets before the storm. In these areas, very steep slopes or those where the snow surface was stiff from wind loading were the most suspect.
No cracking or collapsing.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 15-25
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Mid-level modestly convective clouds brought short periods of S2 with some graupel. It snowed most of the day, accumulating about 2 cm. Short cloud cover breaks let in minimal direct sun. Wind was light from the SE.
Snowpack
About 15 cm in the valley floor increased to 25-30 cm by ridgetop. We noticed an apparent weak sun crust 3-5 cm below the surface. Storm snow felt well bonded in quick handpits aside from sheltered, shaded slopes that held near-surface facets before the storm. The slab itself was weak in most areas and needed some wind affect to propagate fractures.
Avalanche
Slab avalanches on Vienna Pk (see photos). Some dry loose. This morning's sunshine initiated some additional loose snow avalanches in the Smokys and western Smokys.