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Snowpack Summary March 4, 2022
Posted by Allen Giernet @ 7:15am (this summary expires in 24 hours)
This summary applies to backcountry areas only.
The Bottom Line –
Fast firm conditions with slid for life scenarios can be expected on most aspects that have snow. Dust on crust is possible with the current storm bringing small amount snow. Be prepared for slick travel and variable conditions especially in steep terrain. If you are not equipped for these conditions turn back before you get into an area you can not retreat from. If the forecast holds true for today into tomorrow several inches of snow combined with moderate to gusty Wet to Southwest winds will bring increase avalanche danger. Wind slabs will develop on leeward slopes watch for the signs of drifting snow. Wind transporter snow, wind scouring and pillowed, firm, hollow snow.
If you venture out please submit your observations to the avalanche center Submit Reports page.
Posted by Allen Giernet @ 7:15am (this summary expires in 24 hours)
This summary applies to backcountry areas only.
The Bottom Line –
Fast firm conditions with slid for life scenarios can be expected on most aspects that have snow. Dust on crust is possible with the current storm bringing small amount snow. Be prepared for slick travel and variable conditions especially in steep terrain. If you are not equipped for these conditions turn back before you get into an area you can not retreat from. If the forecast holds true for today into tomorrow several inches of snow combined with moderate to gusty Wet to Southwest winds will bring increase avalanche danger. Wind slabs will develop on leeward slopes watch for the signs of drifting snow. Wind transporter snow, wind scouring and pillowed, firm, hollow snow.
If you venture out please submit your observations to the avalanche center Submit Reports page.
General Summary
Exercise caution on slopes over 30° as these conditions will exist throughout all mountain ranges. Always exercise caution when entering into winter mountain areas. Bring a Beacon Shovel and Probe and know how to use them. Travel with a partner and make conservative decisions.
Exercise caution on slopes over 30° as these conditions will exist throughout all mountain ranges. Always exercise caution when entering into winter mountain areas. Bring a Beacon Shovel and Probe and know how to use them. Travel with a partner and make conservative decisions.
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General Mountain Weather Forecast |
3-4-22
Friday - A winter type storm has moved in overnight. Reports of 1" - 5" of snow near the 8,000' level depending on mountain range. Today will be much colder with mostly cloudy to overcast skies and likely snow showers possible throughout the day. Snow levels will be around 5,000' with accumulations forecast for 1" - 2.5" for today. Winds will be gusty at times from the west to Southwest. Theres a Winter Storm Warning in effect until 10:00pm Saturday
Saturday - even colder then Friday with more snow showers forecast through the day. Strong gusty winds expected overnight and the winter storm warming will be in place through 10:00pm. Snow levels could drop as ;ow as 3,500' with another inch or two of accumulation possible. The forecast does call for more at higher elevations and in isolated areas. Tumeing and amounts are still not solid so watch and see what happens.
Sunday - will begin to dry out and remain cold for the day.
Friday - A winter type storm has moved in overnight. Reports of 1" - 5" of snow near the 8,000' level depending on mountain range. Today will be much colder with mostly cloudy to overcast skies and likely snow showers possible throughout the day. Snow levels will be around 5,000' with accumulations forecast for 1" - 2.5" for today. Winds will be gusty at times from the west to Southwest. Theres a Winter Storm Warning in effect until 10:00pm Saturday
Saturday - even colder then Friday with more snow showers forecast through the day. Strong gusty winds expected overnight and the winter storm warming will be in place through 10:00pm. Snow levels could drop as ;ow as 3,500' with another inch or two of accumulation possible. The forecast does call for more at higher elevations and in isolated areas. Tumeing and amounts are still not solid so watch and see what happens.
Sunday - will begin to dry out and remain cold for the day.
Click here for this Season's Snow Pack Summaries
To better understand the challenges and potential variability over the large area we are producing information for please read our Snowpack Summary - Format and Limitations
Disclaimer:
This Bulletin is designed to generally describe conditions where local variations always occur. Travelers are advised to exercise caution and make slope specific evaluations. As always, please treat this bulletin with appropriately guarded skepticism and make your own assessments. Help to provide more information to the community by reporting your observations
This Bulletin is designed to generally describe conditions where local variations always occur. Travelers are advised to exercise caution and make slope specific evaluations. As always, please treat this bulletin with appropriately guarded skepticism and make your own assessments. Help to provide more information to the community by reporting your observations
Click on the links below for the latest information
Latest Observtions
Click on the observation to go to the full report
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Observation type
Snowpack Location - Mt Pinos Summit Date (yyyymmdd) - 2022027 Comment Snow from last week's storm was surprisingly skiable on Mt. Pinos on Sunday. A quick check in the north-facing forest near the parking area disclosed lingering powder about five inches deep, and that was common throughout my tour to the summit and down the northwest apron. The meadows had some disagreeable frozen suncups, but it wasn't hard to maneuver around them. The powder became mashed potatoes in places, but they were firm potatoes that responded well to my powder skis. All in all much better snow than two weeks ago |
Observation type
Snowpack Location - Jean Peak San Jacinto Date (yyyymmdd) - 20220226 Comment - Observed a significant layer of sleet/graupel in the snowpack. Top layer of snow is 5cm of well consolidated new snow. Below this layer there is a layer of 3-4cm of very loose and granular graupel. If this layer does not consolidate it could cause significant problems and become a weak layer in the snowpack if additional snow accumulates on top. The existing top layer released very easily, rolling across the graupel like they were ball bearings. This layer was observed at all elevations above 7,000 feet (turned around at 8,000 feet). |
Observation type
Snowpack Location - Eastern San Gabriel Date (yyyymmdd) - 20220226 Comment - Headed out for a mellow local tour with modest expectations for what I'd find. To my surprise, snow conditions were excellent even after 2-3 days of clear weather. The very cold nature of the 2/22-2/23 storm, plus the cool days and cold nights that followed, seemed to keep the surface in prime shape. There were obvious locations of thin cover and bare earth, mostly on low-angle and sun affected aspects, but the steeper North facing aspects skied the best, with 10-20cm of soft fluffy powder. By noon, anything in direct sun was turning over to "hot pow" but still skied great. I suspect Sunday will be punchy and crusty given the quick warmup and milder overnight temps. I dug a pit on a 35 degree NNE test slope at 7200ft and was met with a surprisingly deep snowpack. 75cm deep. 1F snow from 55-75cm with a thin melt/freeze crust at 55cm; 1F snow from 40-55cm (ostensibly last week's storm) that showed signs of faceting, plus another thin crust at 40cm; 0-40cm pen hard remains of early season snowfall that also showed signs of faceting. I did a quasi-column test (forgot my saw...) and didn't see any evidence of obvious failures, but would take that with a grain of salt given the poor test execution. These findings were consistent with other recent observations on >7000ft North aspects, where anything under a clear sky and sheltered from the wind was converting over to a sugary texture, whereas any solar input resulted in more pronounced melt consolidation. Overall, the effect of more sunshine is becoming obvious in the local mountains, and the areas holding soft snow are becoming higher and steeper. It will be interesting to see how this week's warmup affect the current snowpack, and how that plays with any future storms (fingers crossed.) |
Observation type -
Snowpack Location - San G Big Daw Chutes Date (yyyymmdd) - 20220219 Comment - Terrible conditions this weekend. Snow was mashed potatoes as soon as the sun rose up. It was a mix of powdery new snow from Tuesday's storm in the shade, and Spring slush in the sun. Under the slush/powder was a hard sheet of compacted snow/ice. About 6" of new snow above 9000'. Ridges and chutes were in decent shape, but were wind-scoured in places. Upper Big Draw was hard ice, and lower was powder/slush. 7 days of heat, and the an cold storm last week made for sketchy conditions all around. Signs or wet loose avalanches in steep sun-exposed gullies. |
General Caution
You should always use safe terrain management and carry avalanche rescue equipment in the backcountry. Most avalanches are triggered by someone in the party or the victim. Practice with your rescue gear often and be prepared should the worst happen. Though we do not have an avalanche forecast center in this area as of yet, the information posted and shared here as well as the resources available on this site will help to make informed decisions for your backcountry travels. Use avalanche forecasts in your travels wherever available and be aware that avalanche ratings are general information. Elevation, location, geographic variability’s, slope aspect and angle all have effects on the particular area you travel in. This is only one piece of the information you should use in your decision making process. There is no substitute for avalanche education, for more resources and information as well as education please refer to our resources page.
You should always use safe terrain management and carry avalanche rescue equipment in the backcountry. Most avalanches are triggered by someone in the party or the victim. Practice with your rescue gear often and be prepared should the worst happen. Though we do not have an avalanche forecast center in this area as of yet, the information posted and shared here as well as the resources available on this site will help to make informed decisions for your backcountry travels. Use avalanche forecasts in your travels wherever available and be aware that avalanche ratings are general information. Elevation, location, geographic variability’s, slope aspect and angle all have effects on the particular area you travel in. This is only one piece of the information you should use in your decision making process. There is no substitute for avalanche education, for more resources and information as well as education please refer to our resources page.
