Public Observation - Snow pits from Turner Mountain, Kootenai National Forest

Location Name: 
Public Observation - Snow pits from Turner Mountain, Kootenai National Forest, NE aspect 5950'
Region: 
Outside of the Advisory Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 12/23/2015 - 11:28
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Public
Any other comments about the observation or links to outside pages that have more info on the observation: 

I dug pits on Turner Mtn on the Kootenai National Forest last Sunday morning.  I found mostly stable conditions.  ECT showed failure after hard force (9 shoulder slams) yielding Quality 3 shear without propagation at the new snow/December 9th rain crust interface.  Wednesday, I dug pits in the same viscinity.  ECT showed a marked change in stability.  Failure was noted after moderate force (6 elbow strikes) yielding a Quality 2 shear with propagation.  Failure was noted 2" below the top of the December 9th rain crust in a 1" soft layer.  What has changed in 3 days?  Monday PM into Tuesday AM we had wind transport out of the SW and continual snow loading on all slopes.

Weather Observations
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
Activity: 
Snowmobiling