Avalanche — East Slopes Northern Cascades, Washington

2020-01-23 · East Slopes Northern Cascades, Washington

Event narrative

On January 23rd, near Blewett Pass, snow slid off the roof of a US Forest Service building onto an employee, burying her. Emergency officials were unable to revive her. Five inches of snow fell in the area on January 23. At the time of the avalanche, an estimated 28 inches of snow depth was reported at Blewett Pass, and 34 inches at the nearby Grouse Camp SNOTEL.

Wider weather episode

A series of storm systems, each following 12-24 hours in succession during the previous week lead to heavy snow loading on the roof of a forest service building near Blewett Pass in the East Slopes of the Cascades. The most recent storms were relatively warm and came on the heels of heavy snowfall. This increased the potential for avalanches. On January 23rd, snow fell off the roof of the US Forest Service building and buried an employee. Emergency officials were unable to revive her.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 871138. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.