Wet new snow on Flagpole

Location Name: 
Flagpole Peak
Region: 
Echo Summit Area
Date and time of observation: 
Thu, 04/21/2011 - 14:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 50' 47.0724" N, 120° 3' 24.2496" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Pic 1: ~5cm of very wet new snow. No pooling from rain/melt water observed within the top 1m of the snowpack.

Pic 2: Occasional flurries thoughout the day deposited .5-2cm of colder snow which was already forming a light crust on shaded aspects by mid-afternoon.

Pic 3: On solar aspects, wet, loose snow was easy to get moving downhill, though it never fanned-out to entrain much snow.

Glide cracks are beginning to appear in this area, which has numerous granite slabs covered with snow. Probing to slabs showed consistent resistance, without any distinct layering.

Several recent natural, loose, wet slides in the area - all appeared to be more than 24 hours old. No natural activity observed today.

Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
Wind Direction: 
East
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Occasional flurries throughout day. Light E wind in the afternoon cooled the snow surface.