| Date Issued: | 2012-02-18 |
|---|---|
| Danger: | 1 |
| Trend: | 3 |
| Probability: | 1 |
| Size: | 1 |
| Problem: | 0 |
| Discussion: | TODAY...DECREASING CLOUDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING. HIGHS TONIGHT...RAIN LIKELY IN THE EVENING THEN SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATION 1 TO 3 INCHES. LOWS AROUND 30. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST LATE. SUNDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS AROUND 37. There have been no significant changes in temperature or precipitation in the last 24hrs. Temps in starting zones have remained below freezing and there is expected to be only a few inches of new snow tonight, with mild winds. Avalanches do have the potential to step down to the interface from the begining of the week (about 8 inches in most areas), but even in that scenario propagation will be limited to pockets, sizes will remain relatively small and not create a large hazard in the urban zones. In the backcountry beware of recently formed wind slabs, but overall stability remains good. Avalanche Danger is LOW today: Natural avalanches are unlikely. Human triggered avalanches unlikely. Generally stable snow. Isolated areas of instability. In Urban Zones normal caution is advised. BackcountryTravel is generally safe. Slightly more caution is advised with particular attention to N through E wind affected slopes between 2000 - 4000ft in elevation. |
| Tip: | ACCIDENTS AND NEAR MISSES We can learn a lot from other peoples mistakes. In the avalanche world this is actually preferable. There are a number of great sources online for information about avalanche incidents both inside and outside of Alaska. When you are looking at these reports it is great to try to put yourself in the group from the incident. What would you have done, what can you learn from this, does this have any immediate meaning for me in the current avalanche cycle? Take a good look at the pictures when available, does it look like places that you ski? Can you spot terrain traps, or good exits? What safe travel practices would you have used, and would they have kept you safe? I linked two different incidents from the last week below. One from AK and the other from Colorado. Although we have a very different snowpack than CO does, this is a great example of how terrain in the trees is not automatically safe. Take a look, see if you can glean some info that will help keep you safe. Turnigan Arm: Wolf Creek Pass: |
| Forecaster: | Chris Eckel |
