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Surprise
Location Name:
Swan River State Forest
Observation date:
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 - 12:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
Yes
Observation made by:
Public
Tabs
Quick Observation
Woke up to clear skies and inverted temps:
Not surprised to find small (2mm) surface hoar from the valley bottom up to 5600' (highest point reached) on East aspects (only aspects covered)
Surprised to find the surface hoar on top of a thin crust from ~4500' to 5600'
Noted wind effect in recent storm snow however these areas were not reactive to our tickling
Found stable results in small column tests
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:
Travel Details
Region:
Outside of the Advisory Area
Route Description:
Limited observation during truck tour to 5600'
Activity:
Other
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details:
Terrain
Elevation of observation:
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation:
NE
E
SE
Persistent Weak Layers:
Surface Hoar
On the surface
New Snow in the past 24 hours:
6.00in.
Total Snow Depth:
36
More comments about the snowpack and weather:
Surface crust 2mm thick at 5600' 12/6 crust 50 cm deep at 5600' Valley bottom @ 8F this morning increasing to 21F in afternoon. Temp at 5600' was 31F @ 1230.
Wind Speed:
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction:
West
Air temperature:
Below Freezing
Sky Cover:
Overcast (OVC)
Highest Precipitation Rate:
Very Light Snowfall (S-1)
