Gale Force Winds and Blowing Snow on Donner Summit

Around 2-3'' of new snow greeted us this morning at the Johnson Canyon Trailhead.  Snow showers were off and on in the morning before some clearing and warming temperatures occurred with partly sunny skies.  NE winds steadily increased from late morning through the afternoon with increasing amounts of blowing snow over the ridges and peaks in this area.  Looking towards the higher Sierra Crest, blowing snow looked to be intense and consistent throughout the afternoon hours.  Our terrain was limited in our area for wind slab development from these NE winds, but other locations nearby seemed more primed for small wind slab formation.  The new snow provided a good refresh with some smooth and good travel conditions.