Observation: Catherine's Pass

Observation Date
4/20/2023
Observer Name
Gagne
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Catherine's Pass
Location Name or Route
Catherine's Pass Area
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
January-like conditions with temps around -5 C (20 F), breezy west/northwest winds, and periods of sustained snowfall.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Snowfall was unevenly distributed and ranged from 10-15 cms (4-6") with some wind drifts up to 30 cm thick.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
Widespread cracking in areas with any wind-drifting and the storm snow was also sensitive during periods of high PI.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Some shallow wind drifts up to30 cms thick on leeward aspects from the west/northwest winds.
Comments
I found similar conditions to what Jen S also saw in the Catherine's Area: lots of cracking and plenty of small avalanches that were easy to trigger, especially in any areas with wind-loading. These avalanches were all small (Class 1) and only 10-15 cms thick and broke at most a few meters wide. The weak layer was the few cms of snow that fell overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning, just on top of a thin dust layer.
Although these avalanches were small, it did give me an idea of what to expect with more snowfall and wind forecast overnight and into Friday. With such smooth snow surfaces, avalanches may run far.
Photos of a few small avalanches I was able to easily trigger during periods of higher PI (precipitation intensity) and/or wind-drifting.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates