Quick report
Moderate to heavy snowfall started around 5am this morning. By 2pm, 8-10 inches of lower density snow had fallen above 8,000’. 6-8 inches accumulated in the low elevations. Snowfall rates tapered by the afternoon.
Minimal slab development in the new snow. Loose snow avalanches were easy to trigger in steep terrain. Only involving today’s snowfall. Running fast and relatively far. Mostly small, but some were legitimate D1. Storm snow seemed to be slabbing up just a bit in the middle elevations by afternoon as temperatures warmed.
Winds were not transporting much snow below 10,000’. We did not spend much time in higher, more exposed terrain where soft slab development could have occurred.
No shooting cracks or collapses.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 8-10"
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Moderate snowfall rates this morning and early afternoon (S2). Moderate ridgetop wind gusts at 10,000’. Minimal blowing snow. Light winds below the ridgelines. Temperatures warming throughout the day, but colder at the lower elevations than forecasted (thankfully).
Snowpack
Snow from the past 72 hours was still relatively well behaved today. We observed more moving snow today than yesterday, but the recent snow still hadn’t become cohesive enough to form a real slab. However, settlement is happening, as slab depths above the January Drought Layer stayed in the 10-14 inch range in most upper elevation terrain.
Avalanche
Loose snow avalanches were easily triggered with ski cuts in steep terrain. "Running like water". We observed one small slab avalanche that occurred in a sluff/spindrift pile below a cliff band at ~8,000’. About a foot deep. This was the only slab activity we saw.