Wet heavy snow on all aspects and at all elevations on Tamarack Peak

Location Name: 
Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 13:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 19' 17.94" N, 119° 55' 35.9256" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Obvious avalanche path
Terrain Trap
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Significant settlement and consolidation has occurred in the snowpack in the Mt Rose backcountry. Hand pits on a variety of aspects and elevations showed no signs of the density inversions that formed during the storm. Snowpit data from a NE facing slope at 9640 ft also showed a mostly stable snowpack. Ski cuts on test slopes and dishwasher sized cornice blocks dropped onto slopes did not produce any signs of slab instability. However, they did produce some pinwheels and roller balls on all aspects at all elevations. Observations showed 4-6 inches of wet heavy snow existed on the snow surface on all aspects and up to at least 10000 ft in this area.

Photo 1: Roller balls, pinwheels, and wet loose surface snow on a N aspect between 9200 and 9600 ft.

Photo 2: Shooting cracks left over from a few days ago. These cracks likely occurred on Monday.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Precipitation: 
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: