Snowpit and observations on Castle Peak

Location Name: 
Castle Peak
Region: 
Donner Summit Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 02/15/2012 - 11:15
Location Map: 
United States
39° 21' 59.508" N, 120° 21' 12.168" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Lots of wind transport and redistribution of snow by NE winds in this area today. Wind slabs 8 to 18 inches deep were observed to form on SW-W-NW aspects. Snowpit tests in near treeline terrain on a W aspect at 7,900', a NW aspect at 8,350' and on a NW aspect at 8,900' all indicated that the newly formed wind slabs were stable with propagation unlikely.

Photo: Blowing snow over ridgetop between Castle Peak and Basin Peak. This was noted to occur fairly continuously from 10 am until leaving the area at 3 pm.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Strong
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Northeast
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

Light snowfall with 100% cloud cover through the morning gave way to clear skies around 1pm.