Summit wind slab and below treeline wet snow on Jake's.

Location Name: 
Jake's Peak
Region: 
West Shore Area
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 03/04/2014 - 12:10
Location Map: 
United States
38° 57' 58.464" N, 120° 7' 0.66" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Rapid warming
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Wet surface snow existed below 8,800' on Jake's Peak. Below 7,500' the top 10 cm of the snowpack was wet. Between 7,500' and 7,800' the amount of the snowpack in melt phase decreased quickly from 10 cm to 1 cm. From 7,800' to 8,800' the melt phase snow surface layer decreased from 1 cm to a few mm. Abrupt change to dry snow above 8,800'. New snow amounts in the area from last night were 8 to 10 cm.

Evidence of wind slab instability was limited to snowpit data with repeatable ECTP results in wind loaded areas at/above treeline.

Evidence of wet snow instability was limited to natural roller balls falling off trees and rocks and a few very small natural loose wet avalanches. These very small wet loose avalanches were observed on E-SE-S aspects on Jake's Peak and looking from the summit into the Desolation Wilderness.

Photo 1: Natural roller ball activity near the summit at 9,200', E aspect. Photo taken at noon.

Photo 2: Very small loose wet avalanches on Jake's "Spring Run" ESE aspect. Photo taken at 1:15 pm.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
75% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: 

Mix of fog, thin high clouds, and thick mid level clouds in the area.