Northern San Juan
AvalancheKrista Beyer · Apr 22, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Weak overnight freeze below across much of the Southern Mountains. The Silverton area did a bit better with freezing temperatures than parts of the southern San Juans and a slight inversion was observed. The town of Silverton had an overlight low of 23 degrees and a daytime high of 60 degrees.
Snowpack
Visible dust and heavy burnout were observed along CR2. Low-elevation southerlies were absent of snow, and west and east-facing slopes showed significant loss of snowpack. Visible dust on the surface of the snow will continue to accelerate melting. If you're watching the rivers, it appears as though the majority of snowpack loss has happened in the last two weeks. USGS gage 09361500 on the Animas River in Durango shows a discharge that has steadily increased from around 200cfs on April 10th to over 1000cfs today, with one short stall during the cold temperatures on the 16th and 17th.
Avalanche
Evidence of widespread previous wet loose activity below treeline. Wet loose activity on all aspects, but most prevelent on east and west due to southerly burnout and limited observation of north terrain. One slide had the appearance of a wet slab avalanche, but was melted out to the point no crown could be observed.