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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:
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
Trigger
Trigger:
natural
Terrain
Aspect:
Northeast
Starting Elevation:
below-treeline
Size
Destructive Size:
D1 Relatively harmless to people.
Relative Size:
R1 Very Small
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run):
45ft.
People Involved
Number of people caught:
0
Avalanche Location:
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