Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Ann Mellick Jeff Davis Susan Hale · Mar 16, 2016 · Northern San Juan

Weather

Mild and calm below treeline. Cool and breezy above treeline.

Snowpack

While we have not received a great deal of snow over the past several days, it has at least freshened up the snow surface, especially in wind drifted areas. New snow ranges in depth depending on aspect and elevation, but averages 4" with deeper drifts on lee slopes. New snow was bonding well in most areas, though north aspects near and below treeline showed easy, clean sheers at the new/old interface. The older snow remains status quo: isothermal or moving that direction on sunny slopes, with continued persistent weak layers deep in the snowpack on shady slopes. Deeper weak layers have not proved reactive for some time.