Northern San Juan
AvalancheKrista Beyer · Dec 1, 2025 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Manual measurements at Red Mountain Pass totaled 13.5 inches of snow at 1.05 inches of Snow Water Equivalent. Nearby weather stations recorded average wind speeds of 16-17 mph and a peak gust of 39 mph at 12327 ft. The majority of strong winds cam from the southwest during snowfall on Sunday and finished with moderate northerly winds at the tail end of the storm. The current hight of snow at Red Mounatin Pass is 24 inches (2.6 SWE).
Snowpack
The recent storm accounts for nearly a third of the snowpack near Red Mountain Pass. When conditions are shallow and even small loads increase our snowpack to this degree, it's easy for conditions to change quickly. The recent uptick in sensitivity and connectivity is related to: A) the new snow and wind-driven load B) a firm (now buried) wind layer that formed prior to recent loading C) weak facets that have formed between storms due to cold weather, a high temperature gradient in our shallow snowpack, and diurnal temperature swings While weak facets exist on all aspects, where you find all three of these things is where we're seeing most of the avalanche activity. These are primarily N-NE-E slopes.
Avalanche
5 D1 ASr avalanches reported in this observation: https://avalanche.state.co.us/report/08ecd4c4-03ca-4ed1-a552-042b187cd780. Avalanches pictured in media are these avalanches.