The major snow avalanche cycle of February 1986 in the Western United States

Snow avalanches are a significant hazard in mountainous environments around the world. This paper investigates the major February 1986 avalanche cycle that occurred in the western United States, and broadly analyzes the avalanche, snowpack, and weather conditions at twenty sites. These analyses sugg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Natural hazards (Dordrecht) 2001-07, Vol.24 (1), p.75-95
Main Authors: BIRKELAND, Karl W, MOCK, Cary J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Avalanches
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Exact sciences and technology
Natural hazards: prediction, damages, etc
Snowpack
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Snow avalanches are a significant hazard in mountainous environments around the world. This paper investigates the major February 1986 avalanche cycle that occurred in the western United States, and broadly analyzes the avalanche, snowpack, and weather conditions at twenty sites. These analyses suggest that the avalanche cycle resulted from the interaction of a relatively `normal' snowpack with an exceptional storm event, which was particularly noteworthy for the amount of precipitation it produced. Composited 500-hPa anomaly maps show the event resulted from an uncommonly persistent blocking pattern that resulted in a strong zonal flow and copious moisture being funneled over the western United States. Understanding severe and widespread avalanche cycles may improve our long-term forecasting of these events, and help mitigate theresulting avalanche activity.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0921-030X
1573-0840
DOI:10.1023/A:1011192619039