Dear Friend of NWAC,

 

Happy New Year and welcome to the first 2009 update from the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center.  Our goal with this e-mail is to keep you informed of what's happening in the world of Northwest avalanches.  This is not a substitute for daily avalanche forecasts.  Rather, we'll try to keep you up to date with educational offerings, tidbits of knowledge and of course the ways that you can get involved and help ensure that NWAC continues to thrive, and that avalanche education is made available to all who need it.

 

The December weather in the Cascades has resulted in some of the worst avalanche conditions in decades.  Cold weather, an initially weak snowpack in early-mid December, and more recent abundant snowfall have created a snowpack that is likely to be dangerous for some time.  These conditions are prevalent throughout the west right now and have already resulted in 12 avalanche fatalities in the US this winter, including a snowmobiler in the north Cascades and a low elevation roof avalanche that buried a resident shoveling her walk in eastern Washington.  The importance of quality avalanche forecasting and education has never been greater.  We hope you will stay tuned and offer whatever support you can.