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Pacific Northwest trip...


toast21602

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not much happening yet. we leave wednesday (weather pending) out of philly. and then we arrive to ski this out at Baker:

 

 

Overnight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 10. South southeast wind around 7 mph.

 

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 17. South southeast wind around 8 mph.

 

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 10. East southeast wind between 6 and 8 mph.

 

Tuesday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 19. East northeast wind between 3 and 5 mph.

 

Tuesday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 15. East wind between 5 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

 

Wednesday: Snow. High near 16. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 9 to 13 inches possible.

 

Wednesday Night: Snow. Low around 16. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 13 to 19 inches possible.

 

Thursday: Snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25.

 

Thursday Night: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

 

Friday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 22.

 

Friday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 18.

 

Saturday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23.

 

Saturday Night: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

 

Sunday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23

 

 

 

 

we will keep you updated about everything happening the best we can.

 

:)

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we will keep you updated about everything happening the best we can.

 

 

weather updates:

 

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 8. Light and variable wind.

Tuesday: Snow likely after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 19. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Snow. Low around 16. South southwest wind between 3 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 17 to 23 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. High near 23. Southwest wind between 7 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 20 to 26 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Snow. Low around 16. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 13 to 19 inches possible.

Thursday: Snow. High near 25. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 11 to 17 inches possible.

Thursday Night: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Friday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25.

Friday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 18.

Saturday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27.

Saturday Night: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Sunday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28.

Edited by toast21602
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can you imagine how much snow baker would get if it didn't rain. The NWS for the actual summit of mount baker (not the ski area) is calling for up to 153 inches from now through sunday

 

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=48.77644215677391&lon=-121.81992530822754&site=sew&smap=1&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text

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Do you think Avy conditions will get really bad??? I figure the rain soaked snow will freeze and then when new snow falls on the raincrust it will slide...makes sense...

 

Be careful guys!!! On the Mount Baker website it says no hiking above the lifts..

 

The rain destabilizes the deeper layers causing instability now and likely for the next day or two. The snow pack will hold the warmth especially with rain in the pack, even if the air temps drop. With how wet PNW snow falls it will likely bond to whatever ice crust exists unless it is extremely smooth and dense. I don't find this likely. Even then I would expect it to bond reasonably well. Time is the best healer for snow packs though, and the new snow may not bond instantly. I don't know how much more snow is expected but that will likely play a bigger roll for instabilities this week than the bonding to the ice crust layer.

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Do you think Avy conditions will get really bad??? I figure the rain soaked snow will freeze and then when new snow falls on the raincrust it will slide...makes sense...

 

 

It depends which is always the right answer unless you were out digging pits.

 

Rain can be a stabilizing factor in circumstances with faceted snow in that the rain will sometimes create rounds. It can also be destabilizing like Glenn said.

 

Temperature of the pack can be more important than what fell out of the sky or certainly wind, if you aren't in that area digging pits there is no way really to know.

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It depends which is always the right answer unless you were out digging pits.

 

Rain can be a stabilizing factor in circumstances with faceted snow in that the rain will sometimes create rounds. It can also be destabilizing like Glenn said.

 

Temperature of the pack can be more important than what fell out of the sky or certainly wind, if you aren't in that area digging pits there is no way really to know.

 

Good points, went back and re-read some things on rain on snow. Take-aways: Rain on snow is most dangerous in the first few hours. Snow either slides or stabilizes within a day from a rain even. Snow which has already seen rain will handle the water in the pack well. Dan was saying everything was going which had me thinking about how destabilizing rain can be, just like a spring thaw. On the long term for sure the rain only adds stability to a pack. On the short term it can cause widespread failures.

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Also similar to wet slabs, pits may or may not show the unstable layer. The water weakens the snow pack and causes a collapse, which may not be evident while the pack is dry and more stable. Since these events happen fast I would think getting off the snow a just waiting it out makes more sense than digging pits which will be dated in a matter of minutes to hours in a rain or thaw event.

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Thanks guys for taking the time to post Avalanche knowledge and info. I'm pretty familiar with Northern Interior Rockies snowpack from reading the Jackson Hole Avalanche reports for the past several years but the maritime climate of the Pacific Northwest is something I am unfamiliar with...I went to Whistler in 1999 with my Dad..that was a long time ago..

The other thing to think about when considering avalanche danger in a place like the NW is that their snow already has a higher moisture content then places further east. NW terrain tends to old tighter on steeper terrain then say in UT/CO/MO.

 

Def a general rule, and if you're heading out into avy terrain in a "new to you" area the more you can read/learn the better.

Edited by nick malozzi
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