Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Ann Mellick · Apr 13, 2018 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Snow and wind combining to create localized blizzard conditions.

Snowpack

Old snow is isothermal, refrozen and firm after a night of single digit temperatures. New snow depth averaged 7", but drifts up to 18" found on lee terrain features from strong northerly winds. The new snow has generally bonded well to the old snow surface though is/will continue to be prone to human triggering in steep terrain (>35Ëš). Snow will likely sheet off underfoot on the old snow surface with warming this weekend. Yesterday's fierce southerly winds deposited a stout layer of desert dust under the new snow. This will hasten the retreat of our already-anemic snowpack once the overlying snow burns off.