Observation Date
1/6/2015
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Silver Fork » Meadows
Location Name or Route
Meadows, Silver Fork
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Felt like a spring day - very warm in the sun.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Only a bit of dense powder, above about 9,000', northerly facing. Other than that, most other slopes had damp to wet surface snow, crusting rapidly once the day cooled.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Rapid Warming
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Rapid warming - timing is everything...with another sunny, warm day in store, the danger of wet slides will once again go from Low to Moderate or Considerable with heating.
Poor snowpack structure - the NSF's are still there, hopefully, the warm weather and now deeper snowpack will help to strengthen the faceted layers on many aspects and elevations. In this area, basal facets/depth hoar are strengthening.
Snow Profile
Aspect
East
Elevation
9,400'
Comments
I figure the NSF layer is mostly dormant at the moment, on all but a very few slopes. But it will be interesting to follow this layer over the next week of high pressure.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
