EXTREME

[Dru]

South Coast Date Issued: 1/17/2005 12:00:00 AM

Valid Until: 1/19/2005 12:00:00 AM

Forecast of Avalanche Danger: Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Alpine Extreme Extreme High

Treeline Extreme Extreme High

Below Treeline Extreme Extreme High

 

 

Travel Advisory: Anytime rain falls on cold dry snow a large avalanche cycle is imminent. We are now in this situation where rain is falling up into the alpine abruptly after very cold weather. The avalanche danger is now Extreme and will remain Extreme or High through Wednesday. You can expect to see monster slides in well defined paths and small avalanches in unexpected locations. The best thing to do in times like these is stay well away from avalanche terrain. In the longer term, let’s just hope that there is still some snow left by the weekend.

Avalanche Activity: A widespread avalanche cycle is expected to occur Monday night through Wednesday. Some of these avalanches may be very large and destructive running well into or beyond normal runout zones.

Snow Pack: Very weak snow layers that formed near the surface during the cold bout of weather during the past few weeks are being soaked by rain.

Weather: A Pineapple Express has set up with a warm tail of moisture all the way back to Hawaii. With strong jet stream support acting as a conveyor belt for storms, expect copious amounts of precipitation. Unfortunately, after 20 cm of snow expect up to 150mm of rain. The freezing level is supposed to rise between 2300 and 2500 m on Monday night and remain there through Wednesday. Associated with these storms are very strong southwesterly winds.

Issued By: GJ

 

oops

Good bye freshiez it was nice knowing you.

[jhamaker]

I've already seen climax slides in the Olympics, Hurricain Ridge area 3-6k ft elevation. I saw these yesterday (Sun 1/16/05). Most of these occured in snowpack of around one foot.

[carstensz]

From the PI:

 

Hurricane Ridge ski area on the Olympic Peninsula had already been closed last weekend because of lack of snow cover, when a Port Townsend teenager snowboarding there Sunday was swept 75 feet downslope by a wind-slab avalanche.

 

He was "extremely lucky to have escaped uninjured," said Hurricane Ridge Ranger Mike Danisiewicz. "Sunday's avalanche was significant and could easily have injured or even killed someone."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/208334_weather18.html

[thelawgoddess]

Good bye freshiez it was nice knowing you.

[COL._Von_Spanker]

So this is probably the reason all the resorts are closing.

[John Frieh]

Maybe a second monster slide will come down and clear all the down trees clogging upper Bachelor Creek basin.

[specialed]

Well the skiing sucks ass, but atleast the ice climbing sucks ass now too.