Northern San Juan
AvalancheBill Nalli · Dec 14, 2019 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Pause in storm for the first half of the day. Snowfall resumed around noon and PI increased for a two hour period from 1 to 3pm. Swirling wind was depositing snow on most aspects except W.
Snowpack
East aspects below and near treeline are gaining strength. Facets near the ground are rounding and sintering. Wind was transporting snow onto N, NE, and East aspects but the slab had not gotten thick enough to be sensitive in the areas I travelled. SE aspects have developed a crust/facet combination that deserves attention moving into the future. It has likely been formed from radiation recrystallization, the perfect balance of incoming vs. outgoing solar radiation with the cold sunny days between the last storms. One natural avalanche was seen on a S aspect at 11,000' before I lost visibility. The hazard today most likely did not reach CON until late in the afternoon, but felt like it was on the borderline most of the day.
Avalanche
Shallow SS near Lookout Peak. Likely new snow failing on some sort of crust.