Variable weather at Carson Pass

Location Name: 
Frog Lake Ridge
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 01/05/2016 - 13:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 41' 24.9468" N, 119° 59' 14.2836" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks, or collapsing
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Highly variable weather this afternoon at Carson Pass. Moments of S2+ precip and Strong winds, mixed with Broken sky, no precip and Moderate winds, with temperature spikes and dips as well. Layering of rimed storm snow and graupel showed several small density changes that were easy to find with mitt pits but not consistently reactive to ski cuts of test slopes.

Snow Profile and Pic 1: NSFs under a subtle MF layer. Small sugary grains below storm snow, though they appear to be rounding and gaining strength - most mitt pits showed they were sticking together with force but remained sugary with a light touch. Zoom in on pic 1 to see angular grains. 12/24 crust observed to be strong and supportive.

Pic 2: Good representation of several ski cuts of test slopes today, with localized cracking both within storm snow and on deeper NSF layer. Slopes needed to be very steep or first undercut in order to produce cracks. No cracks beyond 1m observed today, though my terrain choices were fairly conservative and most test slopes were well supported into flats below.

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: 
Wind Speed: 
Strong
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

Air temp highly variable