Avalanche Danger Update

A few inches of new snow Saturday night into Sunday combined with strong winds Sunday into Monday will again increase avalanche danger in the greater Anchorage area Western Chugach Mountains.

Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected Monday:

See the avalanche danger update from November 20 for more details, as conditions are expected to be similar.

As the snowpack continues to deepen, and slabs become larger and more contiguous, it will become harder to identify areas of concern and dangerous terrain features.

There are multiple weak layers and slabs in the snowpack. Generally, faceted snow exists between one to three layers of very dense wind packed slabs with advanced facets and depth hoar developing at the ground. In some areas, a melt-freeze crust exists. In the most windward areas, the melt-freeze crust is exposed or only covered with the Saturday-Sunday snowfall. In other areas, it’s buried to varying degrees. The advanced facets and developing depth hoar at the ground are capped by this melt-freeze crust where it exists, and it is exacerbating faceting above and below it.

There is still a substantial amount of loose snow available for transport into fresh wind slabs Sunday into Monday, and wind loading during this time period will further stress existing persistent slabs making them more susceptible to both human and natural triggers.