Professional Observation
Basic Information
Observation Details
Observation Date:
December 11, 2020Submitted:
December 11, 2020Observer:
TAC - Andy BondZone or Region:
Taos AreaLocation:
Natural and Skier Triggered avalanchesSigns of Unstable Snow
Recent Avalanches?
YesCracking?
WidespreadCollapsing?
IsolatedSnow Stability
Stability Rating:
PoorConfidence in Rating:
HighStability Trend:
WorseningMedia
Advanced Information
Weather Summary
Cloud Cover:
ObscuredTemperature:
10 - 20Wind:
Moderate , WPicked up an additional 3 to 4" of snow during the day. Heard a couple of loud rumbles of Thunder with some graupel today. Winds were moderate out of the West near and above treeline with snow easily transporting.
Avalanche Observations
| # | Date | Location | Size | Type | Bed Sfc | Depth | Trigger | Comments | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Today |
Backside of Kachina NE 12,000' |
D2 | SS | O-Old Snow | N-Natural |
|
Several natural and skier triggered avalanches on test slopes today. Above treeline we saw debris from natural avalanches that stepped down or ran on weak faceted snow near the ground.
We triggered several small storm snow avalanches on steep test slopes. Some we remotely triggered and others ran sympathetically. Some of the remote triggers were 200 + feet away.
Snowpack Observations
4 to 6" of snow below 10,000' with 6 to 8" of snow above. Picked up an additional 3 to 4 inches of snow during the day. Winds were moderate out of the west and easily transporting snow throughout the day and creating just enough cohesion in slabs near and above treeline.
Several natural avalanches mainly above treeline where the most amount of loading was occurring. Some of these avalanches stepped down or ran in old weak faceted snow.
Conditions were touchy and sensitive in the new storm snow as we were able to trigger several avalanches on steep test slopes as well as remotely. I would suspect we could reach peak instability later this evening with this storm but hadn't reached a widespread natural avalanche cycle yet.
Avalanche Problems
| Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Persistent Slab
|
|
Natural persistent slab avalanches were mainly found above treeline with the most amount of wind loading. | |||
Storm Slab
|
|
Very touchy and sensitive storm slabs come mid-day on steep slopes above 35 degrees. |
Terrain Use
Just went for a walk to observe the avalanche conditions. Did not poke out into committing avalanche terrain.
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