Hatcher Pass

After three weeks of dry weather, light snow makes a quick visit to Hatcher Pass, with another round of intense valley winds to follow.

Today, snowfall amounts look to be modest and winds relatively calm. Avalanches remain unlikely; conditions are thin but generally stable. The danger is LOW.

Light-density snow followed by a return to strong northerly winds on Saturday could increase the avalanche hazard this weekend.

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After three weeks of clear, dry weather, snow returns to southcentral Alaska today and continues into this weekend. At Hatcher Pass, snowfall today looks to be modest, with only an inch or two expected. Winds should remain calm to light out of the Southeast today, before the snow tapers off Saturday and strong northerly winds pick back up Saturday evening. All told, Hatcher Pass looks to only get 2-4'' of light-density snow out of this system, but at this point, we're taking anything we can get. 

Today, avalanches are unlikely, and conditions are generally stable. As the snow accumulates, rocks and firm bed surfaces will become obscured, making travel even more challenging. 

This round of snowfall doesn't look like quite enough to immediately improve ski conditions or heighten the avalanche hazard. But as the winds strengthen later this weekend, any new snow available for transport could form sensitive wind slabs on old faceted snow and firm bed surfaces, creating new instabilities. Keep an eye on the snowfall, winds, and subsequent forecasts this weekend.

This week, Santa tried his best to make a white Christmas in the Mat-Su valley, where a trace of snow fell overnight Wednesday in the mountains around Hatcher Pass and the surrounding foothills. The mountains have seen little change over the last week, with mostly light to moderate winds and below-freezing temperatures. As we continue through this extended drought, the fledgling snowpack of Hatcher Pass has only become weaker. Below the surface, in areas harboring thin wind skins, the upper snowpack has continued to facet and weaken. Where early December winds build stiff, impenetrable drifts, faceting continues below these slabs as well.  Elsewhere, shallow, wind-sheltered areas are comprised entirely of weak, sugary faceted snow.

As new snow accumulates, it will be falling on this variety of old, faceted surfaces. We'll need to keep a close eye on how much new snow falls, because our thin, weak snowpack will not take much to become dangerous and unstable. 

You may encounter poor visibility and slide for life conditions on steep, upper elevation slopes. A slip or fall in these locations could send a skier or rider careening down steep terrain into exposed rocks below. Consider the consequences of such a fall before entering steep terrain. Carrying crampons or an ice axe may help decrease your risk of a fall —especially if you are climbing steep terrain on foot. 

Recent Avalanches:

There have been no natural or human-triggered avalanches observed since the weekend of December 6-7. See all recent observations here.