Forecaster Observation-near Chain Lakes-Northern Whitefish Range

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation-near Chain Lakes-Northern Whitefish Range
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Northern (north of Coal Creek)
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 02/15/2017 - 13:00
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Took snowmobiles from the North Fork Road to Red Meadow Lake.  Good riding conditions with some loose snow and powder down low.

Temperatures were above freezing at Red Meadow Lake.  Saw numerous crowns on all the slopes adjacent to the lake from the February 3-10 cycle.  All elevations above 5000 feet and all aspects appeared to be represented.  These crowns appeared to be filled in more than avalanches from the same cycle in other locations, so assuming they ran earlier in the cycle.

See attached photo and pit profile for information on one of the avalanches we were able to access.  That avalanche failed on facets above the January 19 crust and appeared to have stepped down to a deeper layer near the ground in places.  Stability tests done approximately 10 feet from the crown did not result in any propagation and took moderate force to get failure.  It is possible that the layer had already failed during the avalanche, which would have impacted our results.

The surface crust was not as strong in this area as we have found in other places.  Warm temperatures appeared to be significantly weakening the crust, although we found it was highly variable in strength.

 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
75% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate (Small trees sway)
Precipitation: 
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
West
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: 

Clouds were rolling in and it was mostly overcast.  Temperatures were below freezing in the valley bottom, but it did not appear that the mid to upper elevations had frozen last night.  Winds were increasing out of the West.

Activity: 
Skiing
High Temp. (C): 
2.2