It was a week of wild swings in weather and avalanche danger, sometimes remiscent of last winter's Groundhog's Day. Link to weekly summary video here.
Weekly Recap
Friday 1/31/20 - Thursday 1/26/20
This week on As the World Terns: By Rob the Intern
January ended with elevated avalanche hazard. Friday brought an inch or more of SWE to Flattop and Stahl Snotel as the freezing level climbed to nearly 7000 feet. We issued a Special Avalanche Bulletin for the Flathead Range and Glacier National Park on Saturday. Warm temperatures with winds gusting to over 70 mph raised concerns for Wind Slab, Wet Slab, and Deep Slab. Observed avalanche activity from this event includes almost 30 D2-3 (we’re still finding more) and even a couple massive D4s on and near Mount Grant in the Flathead range. Stability rapidly improved as a cold front refroze the wet snow surface into the stout (2/1) crust. Cold and dry conditions early in the week limited accumulation on top of the crust (except where steady winds formed drifts) and promoted faceting in the new snow. Wednesday saw more active weather, but not the good type, as observers reported another rain crust. Is anyone keeping count?
