Quick report
Nick and I conducted one of our monthly snow surveys near Deadfall Lake today to assess the amount of snow and its water content. The data collected is crucial to forecasting how much water will be available for downstream users in the Trinity and Sacramento watersheds. The average snow depth is 51 inches and there is 13.5 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE).
There is a foot and a half of new snow above 6,500 feet resting on a crust that was buried on January 31. The new snow is supportable, moist, and setting up quickly in this part of the forecast area. On a NW aspect at about 8,300 feet we observed a natural avalanche triggered by cornice fall, see attached avalanche for more information. If one cornice is weak enough to calve off, it is likely that others are too. Give these ridge-top wind drifts a wide berth and be cautious about travelling beneath them. Except for the natural avalanche, we did not witness any other signs of instability.
Recent natural avalanche that likely occurred early in the storm on January 31.Weather
- Air Temp
- 30
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 38
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Occasional light snow flurries accompanied mostly obscured skies. Temperatures held steady in the upper 20s to low 30s with light to moderate south wind.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2 R2
- Type
- C
- Aspect
- NW
- Trigger
- NC
- Elevation
- 8300 ft