Quick report
Several small slides, and a handfull of avalanches large enough to bury people, released naturally during the Thursday-Saturday storm, primarily in the Sawtooths and northwestern Smoky Mtns. All the slides appeared to fail at the interface between the new and old snow, or just below that - well above the persistent weak layers buried in early-to-mid February. Winds blew strong during the storm, resulting in widespread wind-affects in upper elevation terrain (obvious dunes and ripples on the snow surface) some wind slabs. The cool temperatures and breezy winds prevented any significant natural wet loose avalanche activity by mid-afternoon Sunday (when I left the field).
Cracking and collasping are N/A, roadside observations only.Weather
- Air Temp
- 20s
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Rain Elevation
- unknown
- Recent Snowfall
- unknown exept for roadside
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Some thin high clouds, diminishing in the afternoon. Light roadside winds.
Snowpack
No rollerballs observed: combination of the breeze, cold air temps, and muted sunshine minimized the surface wetting before 3 PM.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Count
- 5
- Aspect
- E
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 10000 ft
By 3 PM Sunday, a couple of small, sun-induced wet loose avalanches released naturally in the Boulder Mtns. All of the avalanches entered above occurred during the recent storm.