Short Storm Update

2008-02-27 03:01:56.000 – Kyle Paddleford,  Observer

These were not here a few hours ago

As of one o’clock this morning we had picked up just over 5 inches of new snow and it continues to fall lightly. Winds have remained fairly light, relatively speaking, through the storm but high enough to drift the snow around. I was quite surprised to see deep drifts on my way out to get the precipitation can after midnight, and figured there had to be upwards of a foot in the can but this was not the case. For most of the walk the snow was knee deep, but there were also spots where nothing had accumulated at all. Prior to the storm the ground conditions consisted of bulletproof ice in many spots, and this was especially the case along portions of the Auto Road as Ryan, Stacey, and I found out on our walk down to the 5300’ ARVTP site a few days ago. Winds will inevitably change directions and reshape the summit landscape with a whole new pattern of drifts for the other shift to encounter on their trips to the precipitation can through today. Ice will once again be exposed where it had been covered during the storm and visa versa. Watch out, it is slick out there!

Kyle Paddleford,  Observer