Front Range
SnowpackRon Simenhois · Apr 21, 2021 · Front Range
Weather
The day started with mostly clear skies and increasing cloud cover throughout the morning with light SW winds and temperatures in the upper teens - lower 20s. Light snowfall started at about 11 AM.
Snowpack
On SE aspect: <=TL, the snowpack was less than 100 cm deep and already went through a melt-freeze cycle from top to bottom. > TL, on SE aspect ~100’ blow ridgetop (where wind loading existed throughout the winter), the snowpack was ~250 cm deep, with a 25-40 cm thick, K hard MFcr below the recent storm and with moist snow in the 50 cm below the crust. On NE aspect: < TL the snow is about 1m deep and supportive with recent MFcr under the recent snow. >= TL, the snowpack is supportive with a dusts layer about 20 cm below the surface. A small, 4F, FC layer under the dust layer was the most likely to fail layer, but did crack propagation on this layer seems unlikely. A large rounding DH basal layer may become an issue as melting increase in the future.