Minimal wet snow instability Sugar Bowl to Squaw Valley tour

Location Name: 
Sugar Bowl to Squaw Valley tour
Region: 
Cabin Creek, Deep Creek, or Pole Creek Area
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 14:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 13' 14.1024" N, 120° 15' 38.7648" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Tour from Sugar Bowl to Squaw Valley along the Sierra Crest revealed minor evidence of wet snow instability. North aspects stayed frozen and unmelted all day while wet surface snow up to 3 inches deep formed on E-SE-S-SW-W aspects in all areas traveled between 6,200' and 8,700'. Snow surface conditions remained supportable at 2pm on all aspects with several inches of the remains of the overnight refreeze from Monday night below the wet snow. Recent storm snow finished assimilating with the older melt forms today on all but N aspects. As expected, E-SE-S aspects held the most wet snow while W aspects had only around 1 inch of wet surface snow at 2pm.

Photo: Very small wet snow sluff in response to a ski cut at treeline at 8,280' on an E aspect slope approximately 40 to 42 degrees in slope angle at noted lat/long.

Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
West
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: 

Sky cover changed from clear to partly cloudy around 1:30pm.