More snow this week

As forecast by SENAMHI, the Vilcanota has received more snow. The Sentinel-2 image from yesterday shows snowcover surrounding Sibinacocha, as well as the area around the hamlet of Phinaya.

weather forecast: more of the same

The weather forecast for today and tomorrow from SENAMHI calls for rain and snow of moderate to strong intensity in the mountains, with hail expected above 3,000 m; wind gusts to 45 km/hr.

Quelccaya's location here is indicated by the red circle. "Danger Level 3"

And it appears the forecast was accurate, with restricted travel...

#TVPerúInforma

August begins snowy

Sentinel-2 acquired an image of the Cordillera Vilcanota yesterday, 11 days since their previously-published image (via EO Browser)... and fresh snowcover is still widespread.

Compare these two identical scenes, from 3 August (upper) and the last time snowcover was restricted to the highest elevations, on 30 May (lower) - two months ago!

The community of Phinaya, where many alpaca and llama herders are based, is located within the red circle. During June and July, snowcover appears to have been only occasional at this elevation. The smaller red hexagon is the Quelccaya weather station location (5,680 m), illustrating that the transient snowline has remained below the glacier margin (approx. 5,300 m) since May.

Fieldwork begins in a week!