Tue, November 24, 2015 Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

Tue, November 24th, 2015

Alpine
Above 2,500'

No Rating (0)

Treeline
1,000'-2,500'

No Rating (0)

Below Treeline
Below 1,000'

No Rating (0)

Alpine Above 2,500'		No Rating (0)
Treeline 1,000'-2,500'		No Rating (0)
Below Treeline Below 1,000'		No Rating (0)

Danger Scale:

No Rating (0)

Low (1)

Moderate (2)

Considerable (3)

High (4)

Extreme (5)

Avalanche Problem 1

Wet Loose

Wet Loose

Wet Loose avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

More info at Avalanche.org

I know…the dreaded ‘wet avalanche’ infographic… The snow/rain line, as of Tuesday evening, sits around 1800′ and looks to climb as high as 2,600′ by tomorrow. However, the rain has yet to begin, only the warm temperatures have set in. Rain is forecast to start falling late tonight with the heaviest period being tomorrow night. This rain-on-snow setup should begin to initiate a wet avalanche cycle at the mid-elevations (Below 3,000′) sometime tomorrow or tomorrow night.

Avalanche Problem 2

Storm Slabs

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

More info at Avalanche.org

At the upper elvations, above 2,500′, moist storm snow should begin to fall tomorrow and Thursday. We should see roughly 8-12″ by Thanksgiving with strong Easterly winds. As the snow piles up, we could see steep slopes avalanche naturally. In this case, human triggered avalanches will be likely.

Once again, check back in for Thursday morning’s bulletin.

Additional Concern

Glide Avalanches

Glide Avalanches

Glide Avalanches are the release of the entire snow cover as a result of gliding over the ground. Glide avalanches can be composed of wet, moist, or almost entirely dry snow. They typically occur in very specific paths, where the slope is steep enough and the ground surface is relatively smooth. They are often proceeded by full depth cracks (glide cracks), though the time between the appearance of a crack and an avalanche can vary between seconds and months. Glide avalanches are unlikely to be triggered by a person, are nearly impossible to forecast, and thus pose a hazard that is extremely difficult to manage.

More info at Avalanche.org

Glide cracks are likely to widen with the warm weather and some of these may release and avalanche. Watch for, and avoid being under, cracks if you are thinking of heading to the Tincan Trees.

Below is a classic glide crack in the Tincan area:

Observations

Recent Observations for Turnagain Pass

Date	Region	Location	Observer
05/06/20	Turnagain	Avalanche: Pastoral Peak, north face	Andy Duenow
04/10/20	Turnagain	Avalanche: Wolverine	Mike Records
04/10/20	Turnagain	Observation: Eddies lookers right shoulder	Matt Yoder
04/09/20	Turnagain	Observation: Bench Peak	Mike Records
04/04/20	Turnagain	Observation: Tincan	Anonymous
04/04/20	Turnagain	Observation: Pete’s North	Anonymous
03/26/20	Turnagain	Avalanche: Tincan – Proper (SW facing)	CNFAIC Staff
03/26/20	Turnagain	Avalanche: Seattle Ridge	W Wagner Forecaster
03/25/20	Turnagain	Avalanche: Sunburst Uptrack @ 2000′	J. Boisvert
03/24/20	Turnagain	Observation: Turnagain – Road Observations	W Wagner Forecaster

Riding Areas

Updated Mon, October 26th, 2020

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
Glacier District
Johnson Pass	Closed
Placer River	Closed
Skookum Drainage	Closed
Turnagain Pass	Closed
Twentymile	Closed
Seward District
Carter Lake	Closed
Lost Lake Trail	Closed
Primrose Trail	Closed
Resurrection Pass Trail	Closed
Snug Harbor	Closed
South Fork Snow River Corridor	Closed
Summit Lake	Closed