Bare rock in the Hourglass and Variable Conditions in the Mt. Rose Area

Location Name: 
Fireplug and Hourglass
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 12/02/2011 - 14:30
Location Map: 
United States
39° 19' 30.3672" N, 119° 54' 17.226" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Photo 1: Nov. 18th facets on the backside of the Fireplug. These facets remain weak and well developed; however the myriad of anchors in this area prevent fractures from traveling very far.

Photo 2: A hard wind slab that existed on top of the Nov 18th facets. This facets under this slab failed during an extended column test at 12 taps (ECT12 Q1). Slabs like this existed in the mid elevation zones that had some protection from the N-NE winds. They did not extend very far in any direction and remained disconnected from each other.

Photo 3: Bare ground in the Hourglass. The N-NE winds had stripped almost all of the snow out of the Hourglass much like the other starting zones described in yesterdays observation.

Photo 4: Anchors and some weak snow in the starting zones on the backside of the Fireplug.

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