Turnagain Pass
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The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all aspects above 1,000′. Triggering a wind slab in leeward terrain is possible today. Watch for changing conditions. In addition, triggering a very large slab avalanche between 3 and 8+ feet thick is still possible above 3,000′. Loose snow avalanches (sluffs) should be expected on steep slopes protected from the wind and be aware of cornice falls along ridgelines. There is a LOW danger below 1,000′ where triggering a slab avalanche is unlikely but sluffs are possible.
Saturday January 27th, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Join CNFAIC forecasters for a FREE hands-on and in-the-snow avalanche beacon practice!! This 1.5 hour informal rescue practice is geared for all user groups. Grab your friends and join us before hitting the hills!! Great intro or refresher! Hosted by the Anchorage Snowmobile Club! At Turnagain Pass (motorized parking lot) €“ Look for the blue CNFAIC snowmachine trailer.
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Travel Advice | Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern. | Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making essential. | Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended. | Extraordinarily dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid all avalanche terrain. |
Likelihood of Avalanches | Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely. | Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible. | Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely. | Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely. | Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain. |
Avalanche Size and Distribution | Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain. | Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas. | Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas. | Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas. | Very large avalanches in many areas. |
Signal Word | Size (D scale) | Simple Descriptor |
Small | 1 | Unlikely to bury a person |
Large | 2 | Can bury a person |
Very Large | 3 | Can destroy a house |
Historic | 4 & 5 | Can destroy part or all of a village |
NW winds are forecasted to pick up today, blowing 15-25 mph with gusts into the 30s. There is light, soft snow available for transport. Watch for wind slabs building on leeward slopes. Avoid steep slopes that looked pillowed and pay attention to changing conditions. Wind flow from this direction can be stronger over Seattle Ridge. It also can be channeled through Turnagain Pass from the South and winds near Taylor Pass can be much stronger. Look for flagging (snow blowing off of ridges), surface snow getting stiffer, cracking and drifting. An observer yesterday triggered a small pocket of wind slab in steep, rocky terrain. There is more snow in Girdwood so expect slabs to be larger. Keep in mind; if winds are stronger than forecasted, natural avalanches may occur.
Cornices grew during the storms last week. As always, give these features a wide berth and remember they can break further back than expected. A cornice fall at the high elevations could trigger a large avalanche on the slope below.
Snow available for transport today.
Signal Word | Size (D scale) | Simple Descriptor |
Small | 1 | Unlikely to bury a person |
Large | 2 | Can bury a person |
Very Large | 3 | Can destroy a house |
Historic | 4 & 5 | Can destroy part or all of a village |
We know the snowpack structure above 3000′ is poor, there is a dense hard slab (3-8+ feet thick) sitting on a variety of weak layers in the mid pack (including buried surface hoar) and old November facets near the ground. Deep persistent slab avalanches remain a concern in the advisory area. Triggering a deep slab is becoming more and more difficult, but is still possible. The most likely trigger spots are thin areas in the snow cover, often near rocks, or where the slope rolls over. High peaks, that see wind, can also be thinner and it is more likely to find the trigger point for a deep slab where some of the slab has been stripped away.
Key points that keep in mind about our current snowpack:
Snowpack structure above 3000′ on Sunburst.
On slopes that are protected from the wind expect loose snow avalanches (sluffs) in steep terrain. The additional snow we picked up over the past couple days, 6-10″ in Girdwood and 3-5″ at Turnagain landed on already loose surface snow. The surface snow has been quick to sluff on steep slopes and the new snow just added to the volume of the sluffs. As the sluffs grow larger they could definitely catch a person by surprise, especially on steep, committing terrain. Observers are reporting that the sluffs are running long distances and are large enough to have a powder cloud. Winds blowing today could initiate these off of the top of ridgelines.
Yesterday was mostly to partly cloudy with a thick fog layer and very light snow showers. Winds were light and shifted from east to west. Temperatures were in the teens. Overnight temperatures dropped into the single digits. Winds remained light.
Today skies will be partly cloudy to mostly clear and sunny. Temperatures are forecasted to remain in the single digits and may drop below 0F at upper elevations. Winds will be from the NW 15-25 mph gusting into the 30s. Tonight temperatures drop into the negative with the lows ranging from -6F to -19F. Winds continue from the NW 15-25 mph.
The cold temperatures continue tomorrow with a chance of snow and NW winds. Temperatures look to warm up into the teens on Friday as a low moves into the Gulf and brings snow showers. However, the overall pattern looks to be mostly cold and dry for the weekend into next week.
*Seattle Ridge anemometer is rimed over and not able to collect wind data.
Temp Avg (F) | Snow (in) | Water (in) | Snow Depth (in) | |
Center Ridge (1880′) | 14 | trace | 0 | 56 |
Summit Lake (1400′) | 13 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Alyeska Mid (1700′) | 13 | 1.3 | 0.07 | 49 |
Temp Avg (F) | Wind Dir | Wind Avg (mph) | Wind Gust (mph) | |
Sunburst (3812′) | 11 | E-W | 4 | 10 |
Seattle Ridge (2400′) | 10 | *n/a | *n/a | *n/a |
Date | Region | Location | Observer |
---|---|---|---|
10/27/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan | Michael Kerst |
10/21/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Turnagain Pass Road Observation | Trevor Clayton |
10/19/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan – Below Todds Run | Andy Moderow |
10/18/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Taylor Pass | Eli Neuffer |
10/15/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan Common | John Sykes Forecaster |
10/14/24 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | CNFAC Staff |
05/13/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Eddie’s, Sunburst, Seattle, Cornbiscuit, Pete’s South | H Thamm |
05/13/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Turnagain Pass non-motorized side | Amy Holman |
05/12/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Warm up Bowl | Tony Naciuk |
05/07/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Turnagain Pass Wet Slabs | A S |
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