After one of the snowiest winters and springs on record, mid-July found fields near Lake Tipsoo that normally are verdant and profusely carpeted in wildflowers still buried in deep snow. By this time, the old snow had gotten dirty and granular on top, covered with windblown deposits and plant material, and pockmarked with remarkably regularly spaced and sized divots. Dark material accumulating in the bottom of each divot hastens its deepening by absorbing more solar heat than surrounding snow. The entire snowpack was melting, but the “dimples” were being maintained all the while.
12 NE Paradise WA (17 Jul 11) Looking NNW
46.8676, -121.5176Snow Divots
After one of the snowiest winters and springs on record, mid-July found fields near Lake Tipsoo that normally are verdant and profusely carpeted in wildflowers still buried in deep snow. By this time, the old snow had gotten dirty and granular on top, covered with windblown deposits and plant material, and pockmarked with remarkably regularly spaced and sized divots. Dark material accumulating in the bottom of each divot hastens its deepening by absorbing more solar heat than surrounding snow. The entire snowpack was melting, but the “dimples” were being maintained all the while.
12 NE Paradise WA (17 Jul 11) Looking NNW
46.8676, -121.5176