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Wintah Bantah


dendrite
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On 2/12/2026 at 11:15 PM, Ginx snewx said:

Seen those on ski slopes pretty often 2017 SR

 

Had one day this winter with multiple large ones at Stowe.  Biggest I can ever remember.

Wish I could post the video, but too big size.  Here’s a screen grab… much easier to see the definition in the video but that’s like a 1,000ft tall vortex. 

IMG_7315.thumb.jpeg.a1ff5e376d6febc532e7e03ebe0816ad.jpeg

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On 2/12/2026 at 7:11 PM, JACKASS said:

Similar to a dust devil?

Temp thing??

Dust devils rely on hot surface temps…snow sfc temps are relatively cool because of the albedo.

Since they’re often on mtns…I’m going to guess they start as a local swirl/vortice that strengthens as it slides down in elevation as it stretches vertically and tightens and speeds up like a figure skater. 

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23 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Dust devils rely on hot surface temps…snow sfc temps are relatively cool because of the albedo.

Since they’re often on mtns…I’m going to guess they start as a local swirl/vortice that strengthens as it slides down in elevation as it stretches vertically and tightens and speeds up like a figure skater. 

They seem to start during differential heating or steep lapse rates during CAA.  We seem to get them during times of broken clouds/partly sunny conditions after a snow, with a strong 850 mb flow amid steep low level lapse rates.  

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1 hour ago, dendrite said:

I guess I’m just having trouble understanding how you’re getting that strong of sfc lapse rates and differential heating aloft on the mountain side snow surface.

Do you get whirls like that during warm season?

Not visually at least during the warm season… but I don’t think we get them.  It seems to be a phenomena that occurs in a strong low level flow with a big thermal difference in the lowest 5,000ft.  30F in the valley, 10F up top.  Some destabilizing sunshine.

They seem rare when it’s completely thick clouds.  I think that’s what I think of when I see them… it’s a well-mixed atmosphere.

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