Lawinenlagebericht

Maritime

Valdez Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 7 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

The avalanche hazard is Considerable.  Rain-saturated snow below 3000 feet will make human-triggered wet loose avalanches 1+ foot deep likely. Above 3000 feet, gradually accumulating storm snow has created storm slabs 1-2+ feet deep that will be likely to be sensitive to human triggers, especially where snow has been stiffened by wind. Human-triggered avalanches have the possibility of stepping down into deeper weak layers, causing a more destructive slide. 

Public avalanche forecasts are issued Wednesday-Sunday at 8 am. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2

    Heavy rain over the last 24 hours has saturated the upper snowpack below 3000 feet in the maritime zone. Human-triggered wet loose avalanches are likely in steep terrain and could step down to weaker faceted layers deeper in the snowpack. Dense and heavy wet slides can easily overwhelm a traveler, so use caution if you are travelling in low elevation areas with a rain-saturated snowpack. 

  • Storm Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2

    Storm slabs 1-2+ feet deep in elevations above 3000 feet will be sensitive to human triggers today. Over the last 24 hours, storm slabs have become top-heavy due to the accumulation of wet heavy snow in areas that remained below freezing. Pay attention to snow depth and consistency as you climb to higher elevations today. Stiffer heavy snow on top of a lighter base will indicate an increasing hazard in your area. Watch for classic signs of instability, including cracks shooting away from your feet, collapses, and, of course, recent avalanche activity. 

    Small solar-triggered loose snow avalanches are likely on south-facing terrain today when the sun comes out. These could possibly step down to deeper layers within the storm slab.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    2–3

    Weak snow near the ground exists at all elevations and is now deeply buried in most locations. In many areas, basal facets are bridged by stronger, stiffer layers in the middle of the snowpack. As this problem gets deeper it becomes harder to trigger and is unlikely to produce obvious red flags like cracking or collapsing. Expect a stubborn, unreactive deep slab in most places—this is a low-likelihood / high-consequence setup.

    The most likely trigger points are thin spots, especially steep, rocky terrain where the weak layers are closer to the surface. A rider may be able to stress the basal weak snow in these shallow areas, and a small trigger could step down or propagate into deeper, thicker parts of the snowpack, producing a large and destructive avalanche. The best way to manage this problem is to avoid steep, rocky features and other shallow-snow areas where the snowpack is thin and variable.

    (1/23/2026)

    Large connected natural hard slab avalanche associated with our deep persistent weak layer. Mt Dimond north face

    Photo: Gareth Brown

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche activity in the last 72 hours:  None

Forecast Discussion

Warm, wet weather has been affecting our snowpack over the last several days. Over the last 24 hours, most weather stations reached temperatures of at least 32 degrees with up to 40 degrees in Valdez and 46 mile. For today, expect warm temperatures and recent precipitation to contribute to instabilities at all elevations. Avalanche problems will vary depending on where you travel, so be sure to check the details for your particular area. 

For the medium/long term, these warm temperatures will help our snowpack gain strength.  We expect the 1/26 buried surface hoar to deteriorate rapidly as it metamorphoses under warm, wet snow, although this will need to be confirmed through field observations. Deeper weak, faceted snow is also gaining stength altough this process will take some time where large granular facets exist in the lower snowpack. 

For more information regarding our snowpack, see our Season summary, Observations, and avalanche activity sections.   

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