Turnagain Pass RSS

Archives
ARCHIVED - Forecasts expire after 24 hours.
Issued
Mon, November 19th, 2018 - 7:00AM
Expires
Tue, November 20th, 2018 - 7:00AM
Forecaster
CNFAIC Staff
Avalanche risk The Bottom Line

The CNFAIC will be issuing  intermittent snow and avalanche updates  as conditions warrant.  Daily avalanche forecasts were planned to begin on Thanksgiving weekend  – but at this point we are in wait-and-see mode until we get more snow.   Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! #playsafe

                                                             Monday November 19th Update:  

The warm, wet, and sometimes windy weather that started over the weekend continued through today. Temperatures were close to 40F at Turnagain Pass and it was raining on and off throughout the day. The photos from today paint a pretty clear picture of what is left of the October snow. Looking ahead for the holiday week, scattered showers continue into Wednesday and then temperatures cool off a bit as colder air moves over the area. Some sunshine and more seasonable temperatures are in store for the holiday and Friday. What will happen over the weekend is where much of the uncertainty lies. Will the colder air stay or get pushed out by a warm air and a low pressure system? Stay tuned! If you do venture out this week check out the most recent observation from Tincan and be mindful on higher elevation slopes that may have a more complex snowpack.

Be on the lookout for these red flag warnings:

  1. Recent avalanches (24-48 hrs)
  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)

Please send us your snow/avalanche reports so we can post them on our observation page. Simply click ‘submit observation’ under the Observation tab above. This is a huge benefit for the community and the forecasters.  Thank you to all those who have  submitted  already!

   

 West aspect of Eddies November 19, 2018,   photo by Heather Thamm

 Snowpit in Hippy Bowl, November 18, 2018 photo Andy Moderow

Special Announcements

MOTORIZED FALL FUNDRAISING EVENT:  

Wednesday, Nov 21st:  Snowmachine throwback film fundraiser –  “2 Stroke Cold Smoke”!

7 – 10pm, 49th State Brewing Co Anchorage. Kick off the riding season, connect with CNFAIC and learn about snowmachine specific avalanche awareness/course opportunities with a ‘throwback film’ night!!    

$20 tickets are available  HERE  and at  Alaska Mining and Diving Supplies,  A2D Motorsports and  Anchorage Yamaha Polaris  

Check out the promo video HERE.You don’t want to miss this!

Mon, November 19th, 2018
Alpine
Above 2,500'
0 - No Rating
Avalanche risk
Treeline
1,000'-2,500'
0 - No Rating
Avalanche risk
Below Treeline
Below 1,000'
0 - No Rating
Avalanche risk
0 - No Rating
1 - Low
2 - Moderate
3 - Considerable
4 - High
5 - Extreme
Avalanche risk Avalanche risk Avalanche risk Avalanche risk Avalanche risk
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.
Avalanche Problem 1
  • Announcement
    Announcement

Want to make the most of your social media connection to CNFAIC?

  • We try to post relevant posts and photos on a regular basis. We also post our conditions updates and daily avalanche advisories on Facebook. Please Like and Follow Friends of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center. Tell your friends… or invite them to Like the page! To make sure we show up in your daily feed click See First on the Friends of the CNFAIC Facebook page under Following.

  • Follow @chugachavy on Instagram and tag us in your posts out in the mountains. Your day of riding or skiing can tell us a lot about avalanche conditions – even posts that don’t show avalanches. When you tag @chugachavy it’s a great way to get information to us, especially if you have a great photo! We will always ask your permission if we want share your photo in the advisory or repost. #playsafe #snowtosealevel #hopeforsnow #knowbeforeyougo
  • Subcribe to the ChugachAvalanche Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/ChugachAvalanche. We try to post quick videos from the field all winter long. Right now all of the presentations from the 2018 Southcentral Alaska Avalanche Workshop are uploaded there. 

 

Weather
Mon, November 19th, 2018

For weather information during these updates, see:

CNFAIC Weather Page

NWS Mountain Recreation Forecast  

Observations
Recent Observations for Turnagain Pass
Date Region Location Observer
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
04/29/24 Turnagain Avalanche: Turnagain aerial obs Tully Hamer
04/27/24 Turnagain Observation: Johnson Pass Noah Mery
04/23/24 Turnagain Observation: Turnagain Sunny Side Travis SMITH
04/21/24 Turnagain Observation: Bertha Creek Anonymous
04/20/24 Turnagain Avalanche: Spokane Creek Schauer/ Mailly Forecaster
04/16/24 Turnagain Observation: Cornbiscuit Krueger / Matthys Forecaster
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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.
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