Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

                                         2018/2019 winter avalanche season has begun!

The CNFAIC will be issuing  intermittent snow and avalanche updates  as conditions warrant through mid-November.  Daily avalanche forecasts are planned to begin on Thanksgiving weekend  – unless we see more snow and avalanche issues before this demanding an earlier start.  

*Early season folks:  Please send us your snow/avalanche reports so we can post them on our observation page. That you to all those who have  submitted  already! Simply click ‘submit observation’ under the Observation tab above. This is a huge benefit for the community and our forecasters.  Make sure to  like us on Facebook  and  follow us on Instagram  for our most up to date information.

Saturday Nov. 10th update:

There is a storm forecast to impact the region tonight into early next week as multiple low pressure systems and warm air associated with a moisture plume impact the area. Snow, rain and strong winds over the next few days will change the snowpack and may rapidly load any existing weak layers. It will be important to pay attention to changing avalanche conditions as the danger may rise quickly.

A small storm this past Wednesday night added 4-6 inches of snow in the mountains. This fell after a period of cold clear weather that faceted the late October snow and after a wind event that formed some stiff pockets of wind slab.  Above 2500′ there is an even more layered snowpack where rain from mid-October fell as snow in the Alpine.  We have already seen a few human triggered avalanches in the Alpine which are good reminders that a thin snowpack can still produce a slide.  Check out the observation page for more details. The most recently reported skier triggered avalanche occured Thursday on Tincan in Common Bowl.

Rain/snowline, the overall amounts of precipitation we receive and the intensity and duration of the wind with the storm over the next few days will dictate how the snowpack evolves. We will be keeping tabs on this. Unfortunately umbrellas might be crucial mountain gear as the rain may fall above 3000′ Sunday and as high as 5000′ into Monday. Think cold thoughts. #snowtosealevel

                                                      Storm clouds from the Lost Lake web cam Saturday afternoon

                                                      Skier triggered avalanche on Tincan Thursday November 8th.  

Remember to always  consider the consequences  of an avalanche, even a small wind slab can knock a person off their feet and somewhere they don’t want to go.  If you head out into the mountains be on the look out for Red Flag warnings:  

1. Recent avalanches
2. Cracks in the snow that shoot out from you
3. Whumpfing (collapsing) of the snowpack
4. Rapid changes in weather (snow/rain/wind/temperature)