Observation Date
1/27/2021
Observer Name
Meisenheimer / Staples
Region
Salt Lake » Bountiful
Location Name or Route
Bountiful B (Skyline Drive)
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
love being in the storm... Super windy, heavy snow at times. It felt great to be up in the weather. The moist SW flow produced heavy snowfall at times, with on and off again bands of snow throughout the day. Once you lost some elevation from the main ridge, it was not as windy, and there was a light snowfall. I would say 2-3" of new snow fell throughout the day.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Faceted Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
Overall there is about 12-15" of new snow (from the past week) sitting on top of very loose and faceted snow. Most stability tests were breaking just under the new snow in the upper layers of facets. The overall depth varied from 60-100cm of total snow of the northerly aspects above about 7500'.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Very poor snowpack structure. It's only a matter of time that the snowpack becomes unglued. Winds are overloading our pre-existing snowpack and making it very unstable. If we continue adding water and wind, we will likely see more natural and human-triggered avalanches in the Bountiful area. The avalanche danger is on the rise and likely won't be coming down for a while.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
8,200'
Slope Angle
25°
Video
Another photo of snowpack layering. A thin crust with surface hoar on top and small facets underneath can be seen about a foot deep. Stability tests were breaking in small facets about 5 cm underneath it. We found a
recent avalanche that broke on a similar layer. Below is a lot more weak, faceted snow.
Second photo below shows cracking we triggered on a steep road cut - an obvious sign of unstable snow.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
High
Coordinates
