New Snow Dusting on Chickadee Ridge

Light rain was falling on the truck driving over Brockway Summit this morning. The rain changed to light snow above 7500 ft on the Mt. Rose Highway. When we arrived at the trailhead, we found about half an inch of new snow had fallen since the start of this small storm. 

The new snow depth remained consistent as we ascended to a high point of about 9200 ft. The W and SW winds increased with elevation and were strong enough to blow what little snow had fallen across the ridge. Not enough new snow had fallen for any wind slabs to form in this area. Clouds also blew through the area obscuring visibility at times. The old uneven snow surfaces had started to reemerge on exposed areas near the ridgeline. 

We moved onto more sheltered north-facing aspects, where we found softer snow on top of the old facets. The facets seem to be gaining strength, and we did not see any signs of instability associated with the facets.  

On the way back out the meadow, the skies cleared enough to see the southerly aspects of Slide Mountain. Most of the snow has melted off these aspects, exposing bare ground and bushes.