The Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the Colorado Geological Survey have issued an avalanche alert:
“Public, fieldworkers, recreationalists cautioned that unusually heavy snowpack could spark larger, stronger avalanches in uncommon locations. Unusually deep snowpack in parts of Colorado’s northern and central mountains has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches in pathways that may not have run in decades, and that may run farther than they have in recent memory.”
Many monitoring sites are recording snowpack levels of more than 160 percent of average, with some with levels well over 200 percent of an average year.
An example of this hazard occurred April 30, when an unusually large and destructive avalanche struck the Peru Creek drainage near the town of Montezuma in Summit County. This avalanche destroyed large, 100-plus year-old trees as well as a high-voltage tower that was installed in the late 1970’s. This was an isolated event, but an indication of what is possible this spring.
In addition, the Colorado Geological Survey warns that the heavy snowpack combined with a rapid warm-up could also lead to substantial mudslides and debris flows. For instance, similar conditions in 1984 led to more than 40 mudslides and debris flows in the Vail Valley. More information is available at Natural Resources Conservation Service with a map showing federal NRCS SNOTEL data on snowpack.
Backcountry advisories are available at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center through May 30.
-Deb Acord
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