Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Dec 2, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Snow showers developed in the afternoon. Winds were light and temperatures stayed well below freezing.
Snowpack
The depth of the snowpack changed dramatically with elevation. The height of snow ranged from 20-150 centimeters. The deepest pockets of snow were near ridgelines and cross-loaded terrain features on open slopes. Over the past few days, 30-35 cm's of snow fell in this area. North and east aspects are the prime suspects for avalanches. Buried facets, that developed in November, continue to be the layer of concern. Overall the snowpack below treeline was unconsolidated and very little slab quality was observed. With any change in hardness in the storm snow above the facet layer, the snowpack showed its weaknesses in the forms of cracking, collapsing, propagating failures in snowpack tests, and recent natural and human avalanche activity. Avalanches were observed at all elevations.
Avalanche
Human and Natural triggered avalanches were observed. Most avalanches occurred on north and northeast aspects.