Snowpit from South Lake

Dug a pit on the NW facing slopes above Powerline trail in the South Lake region, hoping to target the PWL in this location with a thinner snowpack, to see how it will react to the additional loading of the coming storm. HS ranged from 80-100 cm, temps were well above freezing, and the surface snow was wet, with extensive tree drippings. The snowpack was mostly strong and well rounded, and meltwater had percolated all the way to the ground, with each layer showing moistness. Not surprising, given the warm temps of the past few days, with minimal refreezes, if any. The temperature gradient was also minimal throughout the snowpack (4 degrees/88 cm). Snowpack tests showed a continued increase in strength, and no propagation potential. The PST was especially interesting, given the potential for substantial increased loading in the next few days. However, structure remains poor, and will merit continued watching given the massive input of rain at these lower elevations that we will see.