Observation: Turnagain

Recent Avalanche Activity

Jan 16th brought clear skies after several days of precip and wind. Between Jan
12th and 15th the SNOTEL site @ 1,880’ received 13” of new snow containing 1.4”
of water equivalent. Winds overnight on Jan 15th/16th averaged 31 mph out of
the East with a 65 mph gust.

We went up Taylor creek to get a close up view of a large avalanche that was
naturally triggered on Sunburst. This avalanche likely occurred late on the
15th or early on the 16th.

Sunburst avalanche dimensions:
Crown-500’ across, depth uncertain as new wind drifted snow covered up much of
the crown face. Sections of crown that were visible looked to be in the 3 foot
range. This is a rough estimate.
Vertical fall: 1,200’
Debris field: 300’ across
Debris depth ranged from 2-9 feet
Runout angle: 30 degrees
Bed surface: Old snow & ground
See video & photos for more info

An avalanche occurred on the East side of Seattle ridge at 1330 today. Trigger
is unknown, but likely a remote trigger from as far as 200’ away.
Crown-100’ across, depth 1-2 feet (estimate)
Vertical fall: 1,600’
Bed surface: Old snow & ground
See photos

With a warm, wet and windy storm on tap for Jan 17th expect to see widespread
avalanche activity in the coming days.