Well Consolidated Snow on Elephants Back

Location Name: 
Elephant's Back
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 01/14/2015 - 12:30
Location Map: 
United States
38° 40' 49.3104" N, 119° 58' 59.2464" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Snow conditions near Elephant's Back were mostly firm and frozen on the aspects facing the northerly aspects of the compass. A few very small and very isolated patches of softer surface snow did exist on some sheltered areas. No signs of instabilities were observed in this area. The weak layer forming under the rain crusts in some other areas was much less well developed here and was well bonded to itself and the snowpack layers above and below it. Snowpit tests on this layer did not show any signs of failures.

On the sun exposed southerly aspects, some softening did occur and about 1-2 inches of soft corn snow formed on the surface by 1 pm.

Across Hwy 88 on Red Lake Peak, Caltrans was practicing with artillery explosives, and those charges did not reveal any signs of instability on the SE-S aspects on Red Lake Peak.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Air temperature trend: 
Warming