Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
5-10" of new snow in the last 24 hours. New snow was wind affected across an array of aspects (519 total miles of wind recorded at JHMR Summit) compared to yesterday and upside down (severity depended on aspect). Wind slabs were limited to specific leeward terrain (N-NE-E aspects). Visible snow deposition and transport in the upper elevations off ridgelines. Steady moderate westerly wind all day. No storm slabs observed on steep sheltered terrain. New snow appeared to be bonding well to previous interface where it was not wind loaded. Cloudy skies all day with slight clearing south of the pass before noon. Slight snowfall throughout the day with little to no accumulation. Increased temperatures in the mid-high 20s deg F compared to yesterday. Increasing temperatures again forecasted tomorrow.
Snowpack
The main objective today was to gain an understanding of total snow depths (HS) and slab depths above the persistent weak layers (PWL) of concern buried 12/8. These measurements were averaged across S-E-NE aspects.
8300-8500' HS: 80-120cm, PWL buried 50-70cm
9300' HS: 145-165cm, PWL buried 120-140cm
10,000' HS: 175cm, PWL buried 110-145cm
A lot of snow has fallen since 12/27. Averages were 50-90cm, nearly doubling the depth of our snowpack.