Observations from Powderhouse Peak

Location Name: 
Powderhouse
Region: 
Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel)
Date and time of observation: 
Sun, 04/16/2017 - 12:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 46' 58.7748" N, 119° 58' 59.6424" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Rapid warming
Terrain Trap
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Morning conditions consisted of a breakable crust on top of still wintry soft snow but the warmth of the day quickly softened the crust and wet the upper snow. Jumping on steep above tree line test slopes broke small chunks of cornice but these did not trigger anything on slopes below. Thin clouds in the afternoon seemed to amplify the warmth of the day and contribute to the snow becoming wet. Precip held off until roughly 3:30pm on Luther Pass. 

Photo 1: At 9000 feet on a NE near tree line slope, graupel still present and easily found on top of old rain crust. It was not reactive to tests. In this location, the snow above it was mostly fist hard (except for a 2 cm melt freeze crust at the surface) and thus not displaying slab characteristics. 

Photo 2: In early afternoon, roller ball activity on NE shaded slopes had grown to significant size.

Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southeast
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: