Moderate Overnight Freeze on Job's

Location Name: 
Job's Peak
Region: 
Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel)
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 04/05/2011 - 10:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 52' 2.568" N, 119° 50' 52.9836" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Observations made today on Job's Peak showed evidence of only a moderate freeze last night.  At 8:30am on a low elevation NE aspect, significant melt water was observed exiting the snowpack at the ground/snow interface. Debris from the last major avalanche cycle remained surprisingly soft and penetrable, and bed surfaces from the last major cycle were observed to have suffered secondary loose, wet slides in the past 24 hours. No runnels observed at this location.

However, a moderate W/NW wind and scattered cloud cover acted to keep snow surfaces just cool enough that NE/E aspects from 6,000ft to 9,400ft did not show signs of wet instabilities. The top 10 to 15cm of snow was wet to saturated, but the snow just under the surface remained supportable to skis and variably supportable to boots. Conditions remained remarkably similar throughout observed elevations.

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
West
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Dark, cumulus clouds observed over Mt Rose area.