Rain and freezing fog at Carson Pass

Location Name: 
Elephant's Back
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 01/25/2013 - 12:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 40' 30.7056" N, 119° 58' 59.2896" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Rapid warming
Obvious avalanche path
Terrain Trap
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Cloud ceiling and freezing level both observed at ~9200ft today on Elephant's Back.

Pics 1: At 8800ft along Frog Lake Ridge. Rollerball activity from yesterday was covered by a trace of new overnight snow. By 11am, new rollerball activity had occured on the same slope. Light rain/mist observed.

Pic 2: Ski cuts along Frog Lake Ridge, on slopes previously exposed to E winds were easy to trigger wet loose, but very shallow in depth. Underlying snowpack quite strong, with pencil hard snow and no weak or soft layers observed via probing.

Pic 3: On slopes sheltered from previous E winds (W aspects along ridgeline, low elevation slopes, and gladed slopes below ridgelines) 10cm of wet snow was observed. The top 2cm was saturated, with water pooling on a crust 10-15cm down. No drainage runnels observed today.

Pic 4: Above 9200ft, freezing fog was forming a light crust at the surface on both windward and leeward slopes. Occasional bursts of snow showers above 9200ft.

Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light
Precipitation: 
Rain
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: