Professional Observation

Basic Information

Observation Date:

February 4, 2022

Submitted:

February 5, 2022

Observer:

WCMAC - George D'Angelo

Zone or Region:

Central Bitterroots

Location:

Bass Cr.

Recent Avalanches?

None Observed

Cracking?

None Experienced

Collapsing?

None Experienced

Stability Rating:

Good

Confidence in Rating:

High

Stability Trend:

Worsening

Warm temps and strong winds have elevated the hazard in some areas. Strong winds out of the W-SW have loaded lee slopes primarily at treeline and above. Lower and Mid elevations saw significant warming today and newer snow settling from light fluff to denser pow. Newer snow appears to be bonding well to the facets formed during our last cold spell at mid and upper elevations. The little bit of sun accentuated the surface warming of solar aspects, so expect a decent crust down low and zipper crust at mid-elevations. A significant warming trend is worth noting as we move into this weekend and next week.

Advanced Information

Cloud Cover:

Mostly Cloudy

Temperature:

35.5*F

Wind:

Moderate , SW

Warming especially at lower and mid-elevations. Moderate to strong gusts near treeline with ample snow available for transport. Started snowing lightly in the evening. Continued warming means more weak snow at the surface so keep wet avalanche problems on your watchlist for next week.

2 Pits.
1) @7400' on an E aspect. The height of the snow was 4.5-5ft. We performed an Extended Column Test(ECT) and got non-propagating results down a foot on faceted grains.

2) @7200' on a N aspect. The height of snow was 5-6ft. We also found non-propagating results here.

Problem	Location	Distribution	Sensitivity	Size	Comments
Wind Slab	N E S W	Isolated Specific Widespread	Unreactive Stubborn Reactive Touchy	D1 D1.5 D2 D2.5 D3 D3.5 D4 D4.5 D5

Continued winds and snow over the coming days should keep windslabs at the forefront of your avalanche concerns.