Quick report
S-SW-W spect, or any slopes that had seen the sun/warming days prior were re-froze overnight and created slide for life conditons in the morning. Later in the day when the sun came out and temperatures warmed, mid-elevation slopes below 2,500' softened up. Northerly aspects above 2,500' stayed cold and held recyled surface snow.
Found the old snow layer from before 3/17 down 40-55cm that consisted of facets over a crust. Observed wind slab in cross-loaded areas from W-NW winds this past weekend. Deeper layers in this area were re-frozen melt-freeze crusts although below 2,500' there was poor snowpack structure under the hard surface.
Upper layers could re-active with significant warming or very strong solar radiation however, on this day cold overnight temperatures barely allowed the surface to soften. We should stay extra heads up as spring daytime temperatures warm, solar radiation increases, new rain/snow loads are added, or significant wind events occur.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 24-33F
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Wind Loading
- previous
High clouds in the morning eventually burned off with increasing sunshine and rising temperatures. Calm to light winds from the north.
Snowpack
- Surface conditons were hard re-frozen snow above 1,000ft on S-aspects and eventually began to soften later in the day from solar warming.
- Probed at 2,500' on S-aspect total snow depth HS160cm. Old snow surface on a hard interface down 55cm and felt punchy and hallow at the ground.
- Probed at 3,100' on a NW-aspect HS 200cm and found the old snow surface crust facet combo down 55cm. A layer of grauple was found down 5cm.
- Dug at 3,200' on a shallow ridgeline NW-aspect HS 100cm with old snow surface down 35cm that consisted of 2-3mm facets over a 4cm crust.
- Dug at 3,600' on SW-aspect 1F wind slab down 10cm and the old snow surface down 35cm both had Q1 shear quality.