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Observation Date
12/27/2012
Observer Name
Robbins
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Flagstaff
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Weather Comments
Cold, calm, and steady snow flurries throughout the morning and mid-day. On the ridge above Days Fork, there was an ever-so-slight breeze out of the N, although there was no wind transport occurring. With a bit of clearing, the S facing slopes were just a touch damp when we exited at 1:00.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
2'
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Around 2' new snow since Sunday... Very light, low density snow covered all aspects. Standard point-release activity in steep terrain entrained the top two centimeters of snow, although the sluffs were not all that long-running. The newest snow had not consolidated into a slab on the S, and was generally staying put.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Red Flags Comments
Despite the heavy snowfall, the S facing aspects of upper LCC felts pretty safe today. The underlying sun crust was breakable and not all that slick, and no snow was moving as we descended.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem #1 Comments
In shallow snowpack areas with buried persistent weak layers, this latest snowfall was quite a wallop... a day of moderate temperatures without any wind will help these weak layers to adjust to the new weight. In areas where those persistent weak layers are buried deeper than a meter, this new snow seems to be just the icing on a pretty stable cake of a snowpack. For right now, all is good in upper Little Cottonwood... seems to be a generally Low danger on the S and Moderate danger on the N. However, that could all change if the winds pick up. There is lots of low-density snow just waiting to be transported by moderate winds. Watch for a rapid spike in avalanche danger with an increase in winds, and watch for increased sluffing in steep north-facing terrain if temperatures remain cold and near-surface facets start to form.