Observations from Elephant's Back

Location Name: 
Elephant's Back
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 11/09/2016 - 10:45
Location Map: 
United States
38° 40' 50.6712" N, 119° 59' 0.4848" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Continued very warm air temperatures at the upper elevations is keeping melt ongoing in most areas. The exception seems to be shaded true N aspects above about 9,000' - 9,300'. The highest N aspects (9,500'+) are escaping melt despite indirect sun exposure in some areas.

The NE aspect of Elephant's back at 9,200' had received sufficient sun exposure this morning to create a small amount of snow surface melt. Otherwise the snowpack was rounded grains well bonded to basal ice. The existing snow was from the Oct 30 event and the basal ice was what formed out of rain event(s) on top of the Oct 16 snowfall.

Photo 1 - Thin snow cover on the NE aspect of Elephant's Back, just over 1 foot deep in the deepest areas.

Photo 2 - N aspects of the Round Top Complex as viewed from the north end of Elephant's Back

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Precipitation: 
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: