Valdez Avalanche Center

Springtime 2012

AVALANCHE PROBLEM

list of avalanche problems

DANGER

LOW with frozen snow becoming HIGH with wet snow

DANGER SCALE

click for danger scale

DANGER TREND: The danger increases during the day with the heat of the sun and decreases with overnight cooling. Expect to easily trigger moist and wet new snow avalanches.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: Avoid avalanche terrain during the heat of the day. Time your activities accordingly.

There is fantastic snow cover. Conditions are generally safe. Danger is confined to new windslabs in the upper elevation and avalanche terrain with moist, wet and rotten snow. It is still winter on the north aspects up top and cold snow avalanches are possible.

Until the crust melts during the day, it holds the snowpack together. The snowpack gets stronger with successive freeze/thaw cycles. Even isothermal snow gains strength over time. However, remember that large wet snow avalanches are expected during the spring shed and that even small avalanches can have serious consequences.

Post your observations <here>.

Avalanches are sized using the destructive scale <here>.

SNOW:

	VALDEZ	THOMPSON PASS
24 Hour	~	~
May	~	34"
Season Total	438"	692"
Base	~	107"
		DOT snow info

Season Summary (written March 15) <here>

DEFINITIONS:

Snow climate zones:

Maritime (Coastal) - from the Port of Valdez to Thompson Pass, all waters flowing into Valdez Arm and everything south of Marshall Pass.
Inter-mountain (Transitional) - between Thompson Pass and Rendezvous Lodge.
Continental (Interior) - the dry north side of the Chugach (north of 46 Mile, including the Tonsina River).

ELEVATIONS:

Lower - below 1500 feet
Mid - between 1500 and 3000 feet
Upper - above 3000 feet

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Apr
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Public Safety Snow Avalanche Information

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Springtime 2012