Obs from Jake's Peak

Location Name: 
Jake's Peak
Region: 
West Shore Area
Date and time of observation: 
Mon, 03/07/2011 - 11:09
Location Map: 
United States
38° 58' 1.9812" N, 120° 7' 3.2124" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks, or collapsing
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Evidence of slab instability limited to near treeline/above treeline areas. All areas of moving slab failure from ski cuts etc. occurred on slopes steeper than 37 degrees. Shooting cracks observed on lower angle (32 to 35 degree slopes) in wind affected areas with distinct surface wind slab up to 25 cm thick. Very minor skier triggered sluffing in steep (38 deg+) wind protected areas below treeline.

Photo 1: Settlement cones on trees between 8,000' and 9,000' showing 5cm of settlement by 10:30 am.

Photo 2: Near treeline wind affected terrain shooting crack 20' long near pit location. Several other similar cracks were triggered near the summit on 32 to 35 degree slopes. Cracking of surface wind slab 10 to 25 cm deep.

Photo 3: Small skier triggered avalanche on a ENE aspect near treeline slope at 9,140' on a 42 degree slope. Location: 38.966182, -120.116701.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
75% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

Periods of snow showers with less than 0.5cm accumulation. Wind loading adding a small amount to lee areas but not really changing the snow stability picture.