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Observation: Georges Bowl

Observation Date
3/5/2017
Observer Name
Hardesty, Slack
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Cardiff Fork » Georges Bowl
Location Name or Route
George's Bowl
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
Not a ton of snow to blow around; yet plumes and spindrift noted along the ridges. Warm.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

Old snow surfaces are a mixed bag of wind and melt freeze crusts, and both damp and dry soft settled powder. Supportable quasi - corn found on mid/low elevation sunny aspects. Last week's surface hoar appears to be long gone and any surface facets have been affected by warmth, wind, and direct sun.

Cool to find wind deposited surface hoar. See below - Interesting to note that one can - under certain conditions - have facet/slabs from wind blown snow (but surface hoar wind slabs? )

And the dramatic drifting over the past couple of days - note the wind feature pointing in to the wind (looker's left to right) in contrast to the cornice in the background leaning looker's left to the east.

Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
None; perhaps some isolated wind drifts in the alpine.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem #1 Comments

Would anticipate the initial warm snow to bond fairly well to the warm old snow surfaces. Exception would include slick hard wind-board. Any initial graupel associated with frontal passage would bond poorly, though it may all be academic with periods of higher precipitation intensity and post-frontal winds on Monday. Following winds Monday evening again look problematic.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None