Northern San Juan
AvalancheKrista Beyer · Feb 28, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Warm, sunny, and calm! Weather changes fast this time of the year. A good reminder that obs start when you step outside to start your car. Temps rose above freezing at 11,000 feet. Red Mountain Pass SNOTEL hit 31 degrees at 11am and a high of 40 degrees at 3pm. The "great oppressor" (aka sir Sun) was out in full force, quickly warming new surface snow on southerlies and causing some serious ski glop. Oh, and winds were calm! A welcome change from previous days.
Snowpack
About 6" new down low, 10-11" in sheltered areas near treeline, and 2-3 ft wind drifts on leeward 'catchers mitt' slopes. Wind-drifts were soft F to 4F hardness and exhibited no signs of instability upon much stomping. Easterly and northerly slopes exhibited good bonding of the recent snow. Southeast facing terrain was soft, but rapidly warming. A supportable crust underneath may provide a sliding surface as the new snow heats up. No graupel layer was observed, but the reported graupel may be more of a problem in areas such as underneath cliffs where it's more likely to collect. Most snow has been blown off ridges and westerly terrain looks battered and firm.
Avalanche
Naturals observed towards South Mineral and the Weminuche and coded in seperate observations. Small natural activity observed on easterly-facing slope off Anvil, limited to new snow and driven by wind loading.