Soft Snow on Top of Crusts on Chickadee Ridge

Location Name: 
Chickadee Ridge
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Sun, 02/01/2015 - 11:10
Location Map: 
United States
39° 17' 36.492" N, 119° 54' 13.932" W
See map: Google Maps
US



Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

2 to 4 inches of soft snow still exists above the old crusts on the sheltered northerly aspects in this area. Below this soft snow, the old crusts are eroding and softer layers of snow exist below these old crusts. While these layers feel soft and weak, tests on these layers still indicate that if they do break, the resulting fracture is not likely to travel very far. Looking at the snow grains under magnification shows that while they once were facets, they have started to round. This softer layer has also started to stick together in clumps when squeezed. This layer still needs to be watched and tracked to see what it changes into before the next storm because it still has potential to become a persistent weak layer.

Consistent cloud cover prevented southerly aspects typically exposed to the sun from softening much before noon. Around 12:15 some wet sticky snow had formed on the NW and N aspects where patches of sunshine existed.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
50% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Northwest