Snowpack observations on Tamarack Peak

Location Name: 
Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 12/03/2013 - 10:45
Location Map: 
United States
39° 19' 6.3264" N, 119° 55' 3.234" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

On some sheltered N-NE aspects the snowpack in this area has reached 1-2 ft. in depth. Even in these areas where the deeper snow cover exists, a myriad of rocks, stumps, logs, bushes, and other anchors/obstacles still remain uncovered. The snowpack consists of a mix of crusts and denser layers with weak sugary facets between them. Near the surface a small dense wind slab did exist just below today's new snow in some isolated areas. Observations and data showed more well developed and weaker facets in this area. Some snowpit tests did indicate that fractures can now propagate through the facets below those small wind slabs. Since the snowpack remains shallow, perforated by anchors, and discontinuous, the small wind slab and facet combination only covers small areas where it exists. This combination endures on some N-NE facing slopes sheltered from the NE-E winds between 9000ft. and 9600ft. in the Tamarack Peak area.

On the more exposed higher elevation slopes, very little snow escaped the scouring NE-E winds. In Hourglass Bowl only about 3-5 inches of snowpack survives. On the other aspects that face the southern half of the compass, today's new snow fell onto bare ground.

Photo 1: Exposed rocks near the Hourglass. The actual bowl seems covered in the background, BUT

Photo 2: A closeup of the shallow snowpack in the gut of the Hourglass Bowl.

 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Greater than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

Snowfall started to increase in intensity around 10:45. Prior to that only 1-2 inches of new snow had accumulated. In the next 2 hours another 2-3 inches fell. Winds decreased to become mostly calm around noon.