Mojado. Trempe. Eingeweicht. Soaked.

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Kimmerly Basin
Observation date: 
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 - 21:00
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Forecaster

Tabs

Quick Observation

Quick trip into Kimmerly Basin. Just had to see the rain for ourselves...(image).

  • Light to heavy precipitation mid morning til mid afternoon, when skies started clearing.
  • 2-8" of new snow, wet at low elevations, moist-dry 6-6400 feet.
  • Rain/ snowline ~4600' in the AM; 5100' early afternoon. 
  • Multiple propagating failure planes in the ~65 cm of snow that's accumulated above the early March atmospheric river crust (image).
  • The inclement weather kept us from traveling much or riding many test slopes on sleds or foot. Of the few we tested, some test cracked when weighted; others did not (image).
  • Despite the rain-soaked snow at low elevations, we saw only two small wet loose avalanches (image, avalanche tab).
  • We did not travel in wind-exposed terrain and did not see blowing snow. Not that we could see much out of our fogged and dripping goggles.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Southern (south of Coal Creek)
Route Description: 

to 6400 feet

Activity: 
Skiing
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
N
NE
E
SE
S
Red Flags: 
Avalanches from the past 2 days
Shooting cracks
More than a foot of new snow or heavy snowfall rates (>1"/hr)
Rain on snow
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Facets or Faceted Crust
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
8.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
335 cm
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Calm below about 5800 feet. RV-RM below ~5100 feet; S1-5 above. Profile at 6400 feet, northeast. HS 335 cm. 3/4 MFcr buried ~65 cm below surface. ECTP 12 and PST 25/100 SF ~25 cm down on 3/11 near-surface facets; ECTP 18 and PST 36/100 end ~45 cm down on 3/7 (?) FC. Both facet layers thin, sometimes hard to ID by eye; grains 0.5-1mm. ECTX above 3/4 crust, but that layer did move when the profile wall was weighted. All in all, multiple potential failure planes and potential for surface slab to step down.
Blowing Snow: 
None
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
West
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Snow line: 
5100
Sky Cover: 
Decreasing Clouds
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
Heavy Snowfall (S5)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 - 01:45
Number of avalanches: 
2
Avalanche Type: 
Wet Loose
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Aspect: 
Northeast
Starting Elevation: 
below-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D1 Relatively harmless to people.
Relative Size: 
R1 Very Small
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
45ft.
Hide People Involved
Number of people caught: 
0
Avalanche Location: