Observations from Tallac N

Location Name: 
Tallac N
Region: 
Desolation Wilderness Area (including Emerald Bay)
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 03/01/2011 - 11:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 55' 6.546" N, 120° 6' 9.5724" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Pic 1: Significant settlement since last storm. Mitt pitts in this area show unconsolidated snow not affected by wind is now "right side up" in all locations sampled.

Pic 2: New wind slab is denser than storm snow, but bonding well. No signs of instabilities observed. No cracking, no failures on wind loaded test slopes. No persistant weak layers observed. Wind slab existed on open slopes well below treeline and on treed slopes near ridgetops. Treed slopes well below ridgetops still holding unconsolidated surface snow.

Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
South
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Winds increased throughout day. Snow transport limited to creep along surface, but remained consistent. No transport visible on nearby ridges, yet other users reported significant transport along surface that simply wasn't visible from a distance.

Thin, high cloud cover. Although temps remained below freezing on shaded aspects and aspects exposed to wind, solar aspects protected from wind were quite warm.