You've really got a hold on me

We visited the west side of the Swan Range to collect baseline snowpack data and observe the strong high-pressure impact gripping our region. I couldn't help but warble the Miracles 1962 Top 10 hit single, "You've really got a hold on me."

• Solar warming initiated a couple of dozen loose snow slides on the steep west slopes of Great Northern and Mt Grant. One of these traveled 1000' and was D2 in size.
• Inversions in the southern Flathead Valley resulted in low clouds and stagnant air. The northern Flathead Valley escaped these dreary conditions for at least another day.
• Up to 9" of low-density surface snow survived today's warming on slopes sheltered from the sun and wind. This snow is faceting, losing strength, and around 5% density.
• Surface snow moistened on slopes open to the sun. By day's end, some of these areas had developed a surface crust. 
• The current weather is contributing to surface hoar development and surface faceting at all elevations and aspects. 
• Despite the nearby Noisy Basin snotel reporting 109% of average snowpack, we were surprised at the thin snow cover on the sunny and windward aspects.