Castle Peak Observations

Location Name: 
North Side Castle Peak
Region: 
Donner Summit Area
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 03/01/2011 - 14:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 21' 55.908" N, 120° 20' 51.756" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

A mostly deep stable snowpack exists on the shaded aspects in this area.  There are areas of a heavier denser wind effected layer on the surface in some areas.  This layer was not reactive to ski cuts or in some stability tests and was highly variable across starting zones and slopes.  The SW winds kept solar aspects cool enough to prevent widespread instabilities at these elevations, there were some minor roller ball activity in steeper terrain.

Photo#1:  Exposed north aspects showing some wind effect from the NE/E winds from Saturday. 

Photo#2:  Mostly light to moderate winds but in the late afternoon the SW winds picked up into the strong range and started to move snow on the ridges and peaks.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
50% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: 

High thin clouds for most of the afternoon covering up to 50% of the sky.  The SW winds were moderate for most of the day at the higher elevations.  In the late afternoon they picked up into the strong range moving snow.