Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Key Points

Clearing skies in the morning gave us views of several recent avalanches and some continuing wind transport in the June lake BC today.

• Several crown lines were visible throughout the area but the most impressive slide was spotted on the shoulder of San Juaquin mtn.
• Our recent storm snow seems to have settled quickly and we noted our main concerns were wind slabs and the potential for Loose-dry sluffs in steep terrain. We suspect our very cold temperatures are doing there best to keep surface snow soft and unconsolidated.
• Large settlement cones and cracks around trees are further evidence of relatively quick settlement 
• North winds were actively transporting snow along ridge tops and in exposed areas throughout the day. Wind speeds did seem to decrease throughout the day and less blowing snow was visible in the afternoon.
• Isolated cracking in leeward catchment zones confirmed reactive windslabs in leeward catchment zones near treeline.
• We did observe signs of wind stripping/deposition on all aspects. Shifting winds have created some pretty neat surface clues with sastrugi pointing in both directions in some specific areas.
• Some impressive signs of recent extreme winds were observed in sheltered areas below treeline. Large wind whales, pasted trees, and beautiful sastrugi all pointed to very strong winds during our last storm.