Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Ann Mellick Jeff Davis · Dec 6, 2018 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Overcast and snowing. Light southerly breeze. 3.5" new snowfall by 2 PM today.

Snowpack

The snowpack can be generalized into two main sections: old snow from early season (largely weak facets) and new snow from storms over the past few weeks. The area of greatest concern continues to be the interface between these two distinct layers. Moderate to strong winds earlier this week stiffeme d the snow surface near and above treeline. Wind-drifted pockets of snow range from 2" to 18" thick and sitting on faceted snow. The snowpack remains conditionally stable at this time: that is, not prone to sliding naturally, but with the persistently weak structure, it is primed for human triggering. Steep terrain near and above treeline is the area of greatest concern.