Observation: Cardiff Fork

Observation Date
2/24/2016
Observer Name
Evelyn
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork
Location Name or Route
Alta - LSB - Ivory Flakes
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Feeling a bit too much like spring - hopefully we'll get another good long spell of cold and snow.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
High
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Snow from Monday. A bit more upper elevation overnight wind effect than I expected, from looking at the speeds on mountains wind sensors. A few scattered new harder wind drifts on northerly facing slopes. South's were slow to heat for a while due to high thin clouds, quite hard this morning. Eventually warmed once sky cleared. Some high elevation slopes had very hard, slick (I assume old wind slabs) beneath the new snow - dust on crust.. By far the best snow was mid elevation northerly facing slopes, out of the wind, where it was sitting on a layer of bouncy graupel rather than hard snow.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
A couple very small collapses, on southeast facing slopes, of the sun crust beneath the new snow. Assuming heat and sun the next few days will meld the upper snow layers on steep sunny slopes into a nice, strong melt-freeze crust. More interesting, were a variety of thin crusts beneath the new snow on shady slopes, more at mid elevations. These will be worth keeping track of and checking on this layering before the next decent storm. Probably still a few small soft and hard wind slabs that could be triggered by a person - biggest issue at the moment.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low