Cold snow on Carson Pass

Location Name: 
South of Red Lake
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Sat, 02/01/2014 - 11:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 41' 29.256" N, 119° 58' 12.432" 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: 

No evidence of instability observed while on tour in this area today. A snowpit dug in near treeline terrain on a NNW aspect revealed that the old basal facets are now wet grains in refreeze state. Despite the hard rain crust, boot penetration was still nearly to ground level. Bonding of new snow to the top of rain crust remained good at the time of observation.  Despite the strong temperature gradient in the new snow layers, no evidence of near crust faceting was observed. This is something to watch for in the coming days.

Clear skies allowed for views of NW-N-NE aspects from Hawkins Peak to Round Top. No signs of recent avalanche activity were observed.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Air temperature trend: 
Warming