Wet snow obs on Tamarack Peak

Location Name: 
Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 04/01/2011 - 11:45
Location Map: 
United States
39° 18' 58.4568" N, 119° 55' 5.43" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Wet snow was noted on all aspects up to the summit on Tamarack Peak at 9,900' by late morning. Wet snow was minimal in most areas during the early and mid morning hours, quickly becoming significant during the late morning hours. At 11:45am, large roller balls occurred in response to ski cuts along the top of the Proletariat Face, an open near treeline E aspect at 9,760' (noted lat/long)(see video). Wet snow on NW-N-NE aspects was minimal and limited to the top 1-2 inches. Wet snow up to 6-8 inches deep was noted in areas of direct sun exposure on E-SE-S aspects traveled between 8,600' and 9,700'. A significant difference in snow surface melt was observed on one side vs. the other of general E aspects with subtle ENE aspect exposure vs. subtle ESE aspect exposure on the edges of the slope. All evidence at mid day indicated significant wet snow instability developing over the next 1 to 2 hours.

Photo 1: Roller balls up to 3 feet in diameter that formed in the ski cut video and are hard to see in the video due to lighting.

Photo 2: Runnels formed by snow melt off the summit of Tamarack Peak at 9,900' on a SE aspect near treeline.

Snowpack photos: 
Snowpit videos (tests, etc): 

201100401 Tamarack Pk roller balls.MOV

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light
Precipitation: 
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: 

Thin high clouds.