Fresh snow

2006-11-02 06:22:27.000 – Neil Lareau,  Observer

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The severity of weather exhibited by this mountain over the past two weeks seems far away this morning. Winds are moderate and so to is the fresh snow that is falling, falling mostly as unbroken stellar dendrites and mixing with shattered wind propelled snow. In front of the various outdoor flood lamps there is a glitter of planning flakes. Right along the edge of the deck there is an obvious “jet streak” of wind. The accelerating flow in this zone is evidenced by parallel streaks of snow that show no evidence of “falling.” The stream is only about three feet by three feet in dimension. Directly adjacent to it is a tumble of flakes and fog droplets that are frequently moving in a direction opposite the laminar flow. Turbulence and eddies.

On the ground it is easy to distinguish the fresh snow from the wind buffeted, rained on, and refrozen mass that transformed the summit landscape in the week that I was gone. The fresh stuff is pure white and is creating a new superimposed landscape of drifts. The old stuff requires crampons.

Neil Lareau,  Observer