Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Winds were quickly changing the landscape today, creating lots of blowing and drifting snow even into lower terrain. Cracking of fresh wind drifts and shallow wind slabs were developing this afternoon. A day of rising hazard. The Mill Creek area has some thin and weak snow, but the snow stability was generally good today, however winds and an approaching storm will change the hazard.</p>
Generally still thin snow cover in the upper Mill Creek drainage.
Spotted this natural avalanche while looking into Cataract Basin. A few days old and not too surprised to see some natural activity in this heavy wind loaded area.
Fresh wind drifts and shallow slabs were developing today on the high ridge lines with gusty southwest winds.
This slide that happened over a week ago is starting to fill in and could be a potential repeater avalanche with weak snow under the freshly drifting snow.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Increasing winds were drifting and forming fresh drifts and shallow wind slabs along the ridge lines. </p> <p>No change in the stability this morning of the buried sugary faceted snow, but the increasing winds and storm moving in may be enough to increase the chance of triggering an avalanche?</p>
The last shot of snow a couple days back, put down about 4" of moderate density snow in the Mill Creek area. Riding and turning conditions are quite nice in sheltered areas out of the wind zone, but the winds were getting gusty and blowing lots of snow around today.