Northern San Juan
AvalancheAnn Mellick Jeff Davis · Dec 9, 2019 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Cool and mostly cloudy, with intermittent sun and very light snow showers. No accumulation. No wind.
Snowpack
18" of storm snow (1.2" h20) fell since early Sunday morning. While this was a significant load, the underlying snowpack took it in stride. That being said, shady slopes continue to harbor weak basal layers. A pit dug on an east aspect at treeline yielded ECTP 22 x2, illustrating that while failures may be difficult to get, they still have the potential to propagate. No cracking nor collapsing noted. New snow settling rapidly.
Avalanche
Widespread loose dry avalanche cycle in the alpine. None particularly large, nor deep- mostly R1D1. Most were in steep north and easterly terrain above treeline that likely ran during the period of high precip intensity overnight. Some sluffs on sunny slopes from periods of warming by sunshine today. No new slabs observed.