CODOS UPDATE june 4: observations from swamp angel
Greetings from Silverton,
We visited Swamp Angel at 11,060’ in Senator Beck Study Basin on Sunday. Observed SWE was 11.4”, snow depth was 21.3”, density at 492 kg/m^3. Nearby Red Mt SNOTEL reported 12.9” SWE. The snowpack was hard but was softening up a little in early afternoon. The southern aspects have much less snow. The northern treed aspects particularly have a good amount of snow. Since May 28 we lost 4.5” SWE, about 0.64”/day, much less than the week before by ~0.75”/day. A bit of snow resulted in a sharp albedo reset a couple days ago and a sharp decrease in streamflow. Albedo values are now near pre-reset values. Today was sunny with a passing afternoon thunderstorm. The forecast calls for a bit of precipitation the next couple days, so it’s possible that afternoon warming may be lessened by a passing storm. With albedo back to lower values and a little bit of sunshine expect streamflows to start increasing. At Senator Beck Study Plot at 12,200’ there is still 32” snow depth as an estimated ~14” SWE. Summer will start one of these days.
Take Care,
Jeff Derry
