Northern San Juan
AvalancheAnn Mellick · Feb 17, 2022 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Cool with clearing storm and brisk northeast winds in the morning. Warming with decreasing wind speeds by the afternoon.
Snowpack
The storm favored Red Mountain Pass and north with lesser accumulations south. New snow totals varied quite a bit, but averaged about 6", with drifts up to 18" deep above treeline. The new snow load was insufficient to cause an avalanche cycle. However, plenty of signs showed that we will indeed have problems with our next significant load. I found cracking on north and easterly slopes, but it remained localized, with failures in buried near surface facets or in facets below crusts.
Avalanche
No slab avalanches seen in the Highway 550 corridor. Lots of harmless loose snow sluffing from steep, rocky terrain, especially as the day warmed. I saw a couple loose dry slides (<D1).