Shallow snow and bare ground in the Mt. Rose area

Location Name: 
Far East Ridge of Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Thu, 01/19/2012 - 15:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 18' 48.1752" N, 119° 54' 19.6992" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Only the sheltered northerly aspects in the Mt Rose backcountry still hold snow. Even in these areas, the snowpack has become very shallow and provides only spotty coverage. Plenty of bare ground remains exposed and plenty of anchors remain exposed in this part of the forecast area. Compare the snow depth in this observation to the conditions at this same location one month ago. In this area the snowpack will almost be starting over.

Photo 1: A patch of shallow snow consisting of facets/depth hoar (pictured in photo 2) and a surface crust. Extended Column Test Results: ECTN at 14 taps at the top of the facets.

Photo 3: Bare ground on on the Hourglass and the Proletariat

Photo 4: Old ski tracks from about a month and a half ago. Notice how most of the snow has either melted away or been scoured away from this slope.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Strong
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

Light snow started to fall around 3pm.