Northern San Juan

A small remote low on a convexity was triggered from above. The depth of the crown line indicates this area has seen some wind-drifting.

A nearby weather station at 12, 300 feet reports an average speed of 39.3 mph and a peak gust of 83 mph out of the southwest. Temperatures at pass level stayed between 15 and 20 degrees.

On protected slopes around 6 inches of snow sits above settled snow from storms on the 11th and 13th. Snow since the 11th totals around 13 inches in this area. On east slopes, a thin melt freeze crust separates recent snow from weak 2-4 mm facets (F-) to the ground. We received a collapse in the area we dug along with moderate propagating results below the crust. We also dug in a cross-loaded feature to assess instabilities related to the rapid wind loading. This feature held a connected base of facets formed during our long drought period. A variety of wind-packed layers divided by softer snow makes up a thick slab of all the snow drifted and cross-loaded since the 11th. Impressively this recently drifted snow has formed a slab nearly 75 cm thick making up more than half the snowpack in this area. We received moderate propagating results below this slab at layers likely relating to 2/11 and 2/16. With strong winds continuing through this storm we can expect to see rapid loading on lee slopes and cross-loaded terrain features that will form a deep connected slab sitting on a bed of marbles.