Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast
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Stormy weather, heavy snowfall and increasing avalanche danger is hitting Girdwood, Turnagain Pass, the Kenai Peninsula and many other areas in Southcentral Alaska this morning. The National Weather Service has issued several warnings along with this Special Weather Statement for Girdwood and Turnagain Pass. Additionally, a High Wind Warning is in effect for Turnagain Arm through Anchorage and up to Hatcher Pass. Winds are already gusting in the 70’s mph at Sunburst weather station.
Despite a rain/snow mix occurring at sea level in Girdwood, snow is piling up at the higher elevations. Snowfall amounts, as of 6am Sunday morning, in the mountains above Girdwood Valley are already up to a foot and in the 6-8″ range above Turnagain Pass. The Kenai mountains, from Summit Lake toward Seward, have picked up 6-12″ of snow as well. The storm is near its halfway mark and roughly double what has fallen so far can be expected for a storm total as the system moves out this evening. That is in the 2 foot range for Girdwood Valley and in the 12 – 16″ range for Turnagain Pass.
Hatcher Pass is looking to be the winner with forecasted storm totals up to 2.5 feet. The Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center has issued a HIGH avalanche danger. See their information both on Facebook as well as their Advisory page.
Note: The labeled storm totals are for the lower elevations in Girdwood and the road level at Turnagain Pass where wet snow is falling.
Avalanche danger is on the rise today and although skies clear up for Monday, the danger likely will not. There are a few key ingredients making this a concerning set-up:
*It’s game on in the backcountry. Today is a good day to let the mountains do their thing and when the weather quiets down, keep our guard up. Even in areas like Turnagain with hardly any snow, if the conditions are right it doesn’t take much to slide and cause serious problems. Watch for the RED FLAGS: Cracking in the snow, whumpfing and of course any recent avalanches.
This image is from the Seattle Ridge weather station and shows Turnagain Pass yesterday (Nov 7) just before the storm moved in.
Quick check for us all: Is our RESCUE GEAR in order??
Make sure your avalanche rescue gear is in order. This means:
– Your shovel and probe assemble properly and no parts are rusted and/or worn out.
– Your beacon has fresh batteries and your terminals are not corroded.
– Brush up on how to use your avalanche beacon – turn it on, does it pick up another beacon properly and vice versa?
Date | Region | Location | Observer |
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01/31/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Johnson Pass area | Megan Guinn / W Wagner Forecaster |
01/29/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan Backdoor | AAS-Level 1 1/27-1/30 |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Sunburst | Brooke Edwards |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Seattle Ridge | W Wagner |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan Common | Tony Naciuk |
01/27/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Sunburst | John Sykes |
01/27/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Lynx Creek | Megan Guinn / W Wagner |
01/25/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Cornbiscuit | John Sykes Forecaster |
01/22/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | Schauer/ Guinn |
01/21/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Seattle Ridge | Elias Holt |
Status of riding areas across the Chugach NF is managed by the Glacier and Seward Ranger Districts, not avalanche center staff. Riding area information is posted as a public service to our users and updated based on snow depth and snow density to prevent resource damage at trailhead locations. Riding area questions contact: mailroom_r10_chugach@fs.fed.us
Area | Status | Weather & Riding Conditions |
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Glacier District |
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This is a general backcountry avalanche advisory issued for Turnagain Arm with Turnagain Pass as the core advisory area. This advisory does not apply to highways, railroads or operating ski areas.