Quick report
We were at Lolo Pass today for training and rescue practice. There was 5 or 6 inches of new low-density snow over a supportive melt-freeze crust.
We found surface hoar on top of the new snow in isolated locations. If it survives long enough to get buried, it could cause future avalanche problems. For now, it just makes for a sparkly snow surface. Where we found it, it was already knocked flat by the wind and no longer standing upright.
Winds were light from the southwest at ridgetop, but calm in lower elevation areas.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 17
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- 15
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Clear skies and light wind.
Snowpack
Six inches of low-density new snow over a melt freeze crust. Surface hoar formation in isolated areas. Surface hoar was about 10 mm in size.
There was 90 cm (35 inches) of total snow at the top of the highway chutes.