Observation type
Snowpack

Observer
Anonymous
​
Keep me anonymous if published
yes

Location (general area)
Wrightwood

Latitude

Longitude

Date (yyyymmdd)
20230301

Time
1100

Road conditions to area
unplowed/impassable

Temperature
20F

Sky
Obscured (fog or base layer prevents view of sky)

Wind speed
Moderate (17-25mph Small trees sway/ flags stretched)

Wind direction
SW

Wind direction in degrees

Slope aspect
not observed

Aspect in degrees

Slope angle

Elevation
6400ft

Snow depth

Boot/ Ski penetration

Precipitation
Medium 

Activity, recent avalanches
yes

Brief description

Whumphing noises, shooting cracks. collapsing
yes

Rapid warming
yes

Comment
The epic snow event of 2023 has delivered as promised, and more. Below are some contemporaneous notes from observations at/near approximately 6,400ft in the Swarthout Valley.

- Very cold, dry snow fell on 2/23 night along with gusty winds. Pockets of slabby windboard were observed on leeward slopes.

- Friday 2/24 morning through Saturday 2/25 afternoon was the main event, with consistent snowfall rates of 6-9cm/hr. Best guess is snowfall ratios were 12-15:1. Totals were approx. 1.5 meters. Likely 2-3m in the high country.

- Sunday 2/26 was clear and mild, with slightly above-freezing temps up to ~7000ft. Solar aspects were turning to hot pow and mank. Some 
- Snow and gusty winds resumed evening of 2/28, increasing in intensity overnight. By Wednesday 3/1 there was 20-30cm of new snow, with local pockets of 40-50cm in wind-loaded areas.

- Several D1.5 natural avalanches were spotted on ~40deg slopes around 7300ft on 2/26.

- I observed several large “whumphs” while shoveling snow from my car onto the adjacent slope, presumably from the added load.

- Tl;dr – a LOT of snow has fallen in the past week, on top of variable surfaces ranging from bare earth to refrozen corn to old facets. We are now faced with a much deeper and more complex snowpack than is typical for the SoCal mountains. Roads are virtually impassable in mountain towns, so please respect residents by obeying CalTrans and CHP closures.

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Wind loading 3-1-23 AM

pit 2-25