Sawatch
AvalancheJason Konigsberg · Apr 22, 2023 · Sawatch
Weather
Cool and snowy in the morning. Warming in the afternoon with little wind. Friday was a cold wintry day and Saturday felt much warmer. The clouds were thinner or absent at times, and you could feel the affect of the strong late-April sun.
Snowpack
A thick melt-freeze crust sits below 8 to 12 inches of storm snow. The bonding to the melt-freeze crust was very good until the snow began to get moist. The new snow came in right-side up and was not wind affected. The new snow would sheet off of the crust easily at the first appearance of the sun.
Avalanche
Numerous small wet loose avalanches out of steep and rocky easterly terrain. A few naturals I observed occurred at 12 PM. No natural activity was observed related to wind loading during the storm.