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Please contact us with your snow and avalanche observations or any questions you have.

alaskasnow.org@gmail.com

907.835.4488

POBox 2988
Valdez, Alaska 99686

9 March 2010    8:00am
PRIMARY CONCERN:    
Dangerous avalanche conditions. Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

TRAVEL ADVISORY:    
Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding and conservative decision making are essential today. Time is needed for the snowpack to adjust to this storm's influence.

SNOWPACK STABILITY RATING:     
FAIR with cooling temps and heavy snowfall slowing.

SNOWPACK STABILITY TREND:     
Steady
 
AVALANCHE OBSERVATIONS:      
Many large natural avalanche paths (size 3) ran to and crossed the highway yesterday and last night.

SNOWPACK DISCUSSION:
There has been up to 5 and a half feet of new snow since Thursday near Thompson Pass. 46 mile saw 30 inches in 24 hours yesterday. The storm snow has been drifted by strong to extreme (>40mph) east and southeast winds.

Waist deep new snow at some places in Thompson Pass.

 
At lower elevations: under the new snow there is an amalgam of buried crusts with weakness between and beneath them.

Buried surface hoar and near surface
facets in upper elevations and the thinner, colder snow climate zone, have reacted in the last week to human triggers pulling out 3' slabs. These persistent weak layers may be buried more than 5' now.

WEAK LAYERS TO WATCH:    
1) Weaknesses within the storm snow.
2) Facets and surface hoar
now buried deeper than 2-5 feet.

WEATHER FORECAST:
    

Valdez NWS: Snow showers, possible additional accumulation up to 1 foot by Wednesday. Light to moderate south wind shifting north tonight.

MORE DATA NEEDED TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:    
1) What is the strength and distribution of the deeply buried facets and surface hoar?
2) What does it take to trigger the new storm snow/windslabs?



We need your eyeballs.
If you see an avalanche, please email <alaskasnow.org@gmail.com>. Your observations may save a life!