A powerful late season storm added another 2 to 3 inches of water to the snow pack. This storm is the third largest storm of the season and the second largest in terms of water content.
Due to strong solar heating and long days, the window of instability is much shorter than during the winter. Storm snow has already settled an inch this morning. However, in high elevation alpine terrain where the wind continues to transport snow, snow accumulated at 2-3 inches an hour for around 15 hours and added 3 inches of water during that time. The snow is still adjusting to the rapid change and continued wind transport will act to maintain unstable conditions today.