Observation: Meadows

Observation Date
1/22/2017
Observer Name
T Diegel
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Silver Fork » Meadows
Location Name or Route
BCC Meadows
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southeast
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
As expected, the day started benign and almost got sunny around noon, then the storm started to move in, though not (yet) with the forecasted amounts.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
12"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments

yesterday's storm seemed to produce a bit less in BCC than what I heard had deposited in Mill Creek. it seemed fairly right side up and when we started the day did not seem very slab-like. However, over the course of the day as the wind picked up - and blew in our skin line and down tracks - the copious soft snow started to get blasted into place by the winds.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
Right at the end of the day we got some cracking happening, and noticeably it was well down off the ridgeline; the winds seemed strong and swirly enough and there's enough new/light snow to blow about that slab development may be forming tonight in unusual (ie lower, more typically sheltered) places.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments

Things seemed to have mellowed out a bit today from what sounded like yesterday's storm cycling (we were out of the Wasatch yesterday). Our fellow riders were confident enough in their stability evaluation that they charged down frequent-fliers Ricardo's and El Rollo first thing with nothing but small sluffs to show for it. But with increasing wind it was easy to imagine the white dragons once again awakening even if there wasn't more snow in the forecast, which apparently there is. Monday will be interesting.

Will our cycle of spiking avy danger and quick regression to general stability continue?

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
High