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RegisterJan 23rd, 2020–Jan 24th, 2020
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Very dangerous avalanche conditions will continue Friday as additional rain and snow overload the snowpack. Natural avalanches could grow very large and run far distances. Travel in or below avalanche terrain is not recommended.
Since Wednesday afternoon, the adjacent West North and Stevens Pass zones received 2-4in of water, with rain up to 6000ft. More water (1.5-2.5in) is on the way for the Mountain Loop area over the next 24 hours as temperatures gradually cool with snow levels lowering to 4000ft by Friday afternoon.
Avalanche conditions will remain very dangerous as the snowpack continues to get saturated with water. The potential for very large natural wet avalanches will linger Thursday night and into Friday morning. As temperatures cool and rain transitions to snow, fresh slabs of dry snow will build and become increasingly reactive late in the day.
January 23rd, 2020 (The regional synopsis is updated every Thursday @ 6 pm)
January to Remember
A parade of storms since the New Year began brought relentless precipitation, and impressive snowpack growth throughout the region. Areas along the west slopes of the Cascades have rarely gone more than 24-48hrs without precipitation. In the past three weeks, the Volcanoes and Passes received 20-28in of water equivalent, translating into incredible snowfall totals - Mt. Baker Ski Area reported 240in of new snow since January 1. The majority of NWAC weather station sites are reporting snow depths well over 120% of normal for this time of year. Ongoing precipitation and fluctuating snow levels have maintained elevated avalanche danger throughout the month, with avalanche warnings issued for nearly all forecast zones on 4 separate days (January 6, 7, 12, 23).
Snow depth imagery for the Northwest Region on January 23, 2020. Many areas in the Cascades and Olympics show well over 100 inches of snow on the ground. Image courtesy of NOHRSC Regional Snow Analysis.
Location
January 1-23 Precipitation (Water Equivalent)
Hurricane Ridge
14.79”
Mt Baker Ski Area
28.65”
Harts Pass
11.2”
Stevens Pass
20.26”
Leavenworth
4.01”
Snoqualmie Pass
25.43”
Paradise, Mt Rainier
24.13”
Mt Hood Meadows
22.34”
Table 1: Precipitation totals for select weather stations January 1-23, 2020. Huge numbers at Baker, Rainier, Hood, and the Passes and there is still another week left this month.
MLK Weekend and a Pattern of Rain on Dry Snow
After a prolonged cold period with arctic air and lowland snow, MLK weekend brought unseasonably warm temperatures and a rapid thaw. High snow levels and rain caused wet avalanche activity throughout the region January 18-19. A few very large natural avalanches occurred at upper elevations where all precipitation fell as snow. A cooling trend followed, creating a pronounced crust that is now buried in almost all forecast zones. Cold, dry snow January 21-22 was followed by a rapid warm-up and the most significant rain on snow event yet, causing avalanche warnings on January 23 for 5 of our 10 forecast zones.
The crown of a very large avalanche around 10,000ft on the Newton Headwall of Mt Hood which likely occurred during the storm late last week. 01/19/20 Photo: Kevin Kayl
The buried MLK crust is widespread throughout the region and a prominent marker in the snowpack. Crystal Backcountry 01/20/20 Photo Jeremy Allyn
One More Week To Go
January isn’t over yet, and the long term forecast continues to show an active and wet weather pattern for the Northwest. The low-snow, drought-like conditions of the early season seem like a distant memory at this point. We’ve certainly made up for lost time in 2020, and this already impressive month looks to end with a bang.