Some signs of wind slab instability on Incline Lake Peak.

Location Name: 
Incline Lake Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 01/19/2018 - 11:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 17' 46.8204" N, 119° 56' 31.7148" 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: 

Around 8 inches of new snow existed in this area. Some signs of unstable wind slab were observed along the summit ridge (noted lat/long). While slabs were up to 2 feet deep, they did not extend very far down slope. Significant new snow deposition along ridgetops pointed to winds decreasing prior to the end of snowfall. Shooting cracks did not exceed 6 feet in length and occurred only in the most heavily wind loaded areas. Cornices were easy to collapse intentionally but produced little to no wind slab failure on the slopes below.

No signs of storm slab instability. Very limited loose dry in very steep areas, failing within the new snow. Snowpit did not show persistent slab instability, but this problem is known to be isolated with significant spatial variability.
 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming