Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
- Collapsing
- specific
Today, we toured up to Point 6 to check out conditions during the beginning of a significant storm. We found small fresh wind slabs that were growing with continued snowfall and moderate southwest winds. A poor snowpack structure exists with a slab above very weak facets and depth hoar. In many areas, the slab is too weak to propagate failures. However, as more snow accumulates tonight, that may change.
We observed cracking in small fresh wind drifts that were growing. We also triggered a larger crack/collapse in a thin spot where an older, harder pillow of wind-drifted snow failed on facets near the ground.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 5-7 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Today, there was light to moderate snowfall that picked up in intensity in the afternoon. Around mid-day, there were 2-3 inches of new snow. Winds were moderate out of the southwest. Temperatures were cool.
Snowpack
We dug a snowpit on a north aspect at 7800 ft and found a poor snowpack structure. A 40 cm thick slab of recent snow rested above very weak faceted snow and depth hoar. Snowpit tests produced one propagating result and one non-propagating result. The slab was still relatively weak in this location.
Lower elevations still have very little snow, but coverage is slowly improving.