Northern San Juan

Snowpack

The past week of warm days and cool nights has quickly changed our winter snowpack. We have definitely turned the corner into a more spring-like regime, though lingering concerns remain with deep slab instabilities. The snowpack on sunny slopes is transitioning the fastest, with varying degrees of melt/freeze depending on aspect and elevation. Brisk winds have kept slopes above treeline cool, though strong radiation has melted surface layers on sunny slopes at all elevations. Snowpack is isothermal on the sunniest slopes below treeline. Dust is becoming increasingly evident on the snow surface, thus amplifying melt.