Blowing snow at Crater Lake

Location Name: 
Crater Lake
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 01/22/2016 - 11:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 43' 19.4952" N, 119° 58' 29.208" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks, or collapsing
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Terrain Trap
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Intense wind transport as the arriving storm moves into the area Carson Pass area. Below about 8400 on south facing terrain breakable crust was observed with uncohesive snow below the surface. On north facing slopes soft snow remained on the surface above about 7500 feet. 

Photo 1: One definition of extreme winds is that it makes it difficult to walk or skin, and we encountered plenty of that. 

Photo 2: A reverse skintrack crossing Crater Lake. The snow on the skintrack has been compacted by skiers and then resists scouring from the winds and remains behind after the softer snow has been blown away.

Photo 3: A large sastrugi form. The plate of snow above the pole handle is facing into the wind and the snow at its base is being eroded by the wind. A variety of sastrugi forms were observed in this area today. 

Video: Did I mention it was windy? 

(Also of note was a avalanche that ran over the road leading to Crater Lake. This likely ran earlier this week, check the avalanche observation from today for more details.)

Snowpack photos: 
Snowpit videos (tests, etc): 

Intense blowing snow at Crater Lake

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Gale Force
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Greater than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

One defintion of extreme winds is that it can be difficult to a walk and we found that today in open areas above 8000 around Crater Lake. My companion mentioned that when the biggest gusts hit it was difficult to breathe. This strong wind was scouring and redistributing signficant amounts of snow.