Quick report
With today's warm temperatures, the trace of new snow has consolidated quickly. On easterly slopes, the upper 3" of snow had consolidated into thin, moist slabs of snow, making for slippery touring over wind crusts below. On the north half of the compass, slopes were cooler, and the snow was drier, above punchy old wind crusts.
Below about 2500'-3000', due south slopes are on their way to becoming isothermic and unsupportable—especially in the thinner areas above the tundra. In hand pits, I found wet, moist facets on the ground. In very shallow spots, I was trenching through to the ground in wet and moist snow.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 34
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- none
- Snow Avail For Transport
- none
The truck thermometer read 34 at 12:30 in the Fishhook lot. Skies were mostly cloudy, obscured by high clouds. Winds were light from the NW. By 3:00 PM, depsite the overcast skies, the sun was warm and temperatures felt toasty.
Snowpack
Surfaces on solar slopes were moist above 3500', and beginning to wet below that at 2:00 PM. Below about 2000', due south slopes were wet to the ground in the shallower areas.
On SE/E slopes where the snowpack has remained relatively dry, I found the upper 3-4" of the snowpack has settled into a thin slab above weak snow below. I did a quick ECT on an E-facing slope at about 2100', and while the structure was poor (similar to what we have seen on shadier slopes). Stability tests produced no results.