NWAC Pro Observation 1/28/14 - Surface Hoar

As you may have noticed, media from NWAC Professional Observers has made it into the daily avalanche forecast. Today, observers Dallas Glass and Jeff Ward found a substantial surface hoar layer in the Stevens area.

Watch:

Read more in the Forecast Discussion of the Backcountry Avalanche Forecast

good thing this storm's coming in wet...

High and hot enough to erase it all though?

We seen simular conditions well above the forecast freezing levels. Crust on facets in shaded south facing at 5g+. Powder hoar on shaded side of rolls...

Could be a band of land mines somewhere up there.

High and hot enough to erase it all though?

We seen simular conditions well above the forecast freezing levels. Crust on facets in shaded south facing at 5g+. Powder hoar on shaded side of rolls...

Could be a band of land mines somewhere up there.

Ya, the telemetry looks like it didn't come in as warm a s forecasted either

I'm still finding the buried SH on non-solar aspects at Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass between 3200-5600'. Size seems to vary from 20-30mm near the valley bottoms to 6-12mm higher in the terrain. Keep an eye out. Its very hard to find it in hand pits and snowpits as it's sandwiched between crust.

Was up at Radio Tower on Sunday and found the crust/sf/crust sandwich 50 cm from the surface. At 3,850' on an East aspect we had these results
ECTP #16 @50 cm
CTM 15-16(3 different tests @50 cm

Best ECT I've had in the west slopes, it propagated, shifted slightly then re-bonded. Reactive with little energy, still demands attention.