Sawatch

Snowpack

Jason Konigsberg · May 13, 2021 · Sawatch

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Weather

Cool, windy morning especially above treeline. Light to moderate wind-loading onto easterly slopes from northwest winds.

Snowpack

The snow on most aspects and elevations saw warming yesterday. Surface crusts were very firm and supportable this morning after an excellent refreeze. The only dry snow I found was on above treeline due north-facing slopes. There was also dry snow for a short time on easterly slopes near ridgetop where wind-loading was occurring. This drifting was forming hard slabs that were well-bonded to underlying layers. I did not observe any signs of instability in drifted snow.