Monday, January 28, 2008

Avalanche

This year we have had record deaths from Avalanches in Western Canada, as more folks go skiing in the back country. It appears we are not alone. The popularity of skiing beyond the confines of resorts has created a mini-extreme sport, back country skiing, looking to be the first on virgin snow.

However all is not as it seems,under the tantalizing powder lays cracks, crevices and a creaking horror; the avalanche. Especially caused by the lack of consistent cold periods, warming, cold means sheets of ice that are under the fresh fallen snow. This crust is the source of avalanches and cannot be detected until it is too late. As I traveled in Jasper at Christmas, the conditions of bare mountains revealed this deadly fact. And it can take the life of even the most experienced outdoors person.

The fact is that access to the wilderness, to the back country, has been created by technology and infrastructure. However rather than being just another spot to go sport skiing these areas need to be treated as dangerous. Unfortunately the promotion of dare devil extreme sport and the nonchalant idea that skiing is a safe sport means that those taking on the mountains do so without the same regard that more serious adventurers like mountain climbers do.

Back country skiing is not the same as sport skiing in the confines of commercial resorts, and even some of these have been impacted by avalanches this year. Rather it should be treated as seriously as mountain climbing. A dangerous activity that could end in death. Unfortunately it's not treated that way. And thus we have more deaths this year and the season has just begun.


Snowfall to hike BC avalanche risk


AVALANCHE: THE WHITE DEATH

According to the Canadian Avalanche Centre, this past year Canada has experienced the deadliest beginning to the avalanche season on record. As of January 2008, there have been ten fatalities since the start of the avalanche season.









And the deaths from avalanches are affecting skiers across the globe.

Skiers are being warned to take extreme care as deaths from avalanches threaten to reach record levels. Even before the peak holiday months of February and March, the number of avalanche deaths in Italy and Austria has exceeded the total for the whole of last winter.

Heavy snowfalls in December and January have been greeted with delight by skiers, but excellent conditions come at a cost. Research by Escape reveals that as of last Thursday, 39 people had been killed in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Austria alone has had 18 fatalities, one more than last year's total.

'We're expecting more deaths every weekend,' said Ingo Kroath, manager of the Innsbruck-based Austrian Board of Alpine Safety. 'The situation is very dangerous at the moment and isn't going to improve until March or April.'

France has recorded eight deaths, double the number at the same time last season, and the situation across the Atlantic is just as bad. The death toll in both Canada and the US has already exceeded the total for last winter.

An often deadly quest for perfect powder Los Angeles Times

Two months into the winter sports season, avalanches have claimed 26 lives nationwide, including three near Mountain High Resort this weekend, in what officials warn may be a record year for mountain fatalities.

Avalanche experts say average annual death tolls have edged up from 20 to 25 over the last decade and are likely to increase as more people with better technology and a new "extreme sports" mentality venture into remote areas in search of untrammeled powder.

But even a seemingly innocuous snowpack can hide tragedy: Layers of snowfall, often interspersed with ice, can slough off at the slightest disturbance.

"There have been avalanche fatalities since people have been in the West and in the Alps, but what has changed is the equipment has gotten better and there's a lot of hype associated with the outdoor retail industry," said Sue Burak, an avalanche forecaster for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center. "They're encouraging people to go out, and the level of backcountry skills haven't caught up with the technology."

Every avalanche fatality this year, except for one in Utah, involved a person who was skiing, snowmobiling or snowboarding outside of designated areas or in wilderness, with the majority of the deaths in backcountry. Only 1% of all avalanche deaths in the United States occurred within the bounds of skiing or snowboarding resorts. About 11% were out-of-bounds deaths, and the rest were in backcountry.

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Deep Freeze

In Edmonton we have been under extreme weather warnings for the past 24 hours. It snowed all day yesterday and continues to day. As well with the wind chill factor it is almost -50 below. My furnace is set at 30 and the house is cold, even though it is 68. The cold reverberates off the windows, doors, and any little lead we haven't caught with caulking. This is weather to hibernate in.



Wind chill warning for: City of Edmonton-St. Albert-Sherwood Park
Issued at 4:33 AM MST MONDAY 28 JANUARY 2008
EXTREME WIND CHILLS TODAY. THIS IS A WARNING THAT EXTREME WIND CHILL CONDITIONS ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
AN INTENSE WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO TRACK THROUGH THE PRAIRIE PROVINCES. MANY AREAS OF ALBERTA HAVE SEEN BLIZZARD TO NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. HEAVY SNOW CONTINUES IN THE COLD LAKE REGION HOWEVER SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF THIS MORNING. IN THE SYSTEMS WAKE AN ARCTIC RIDGE HAS INVADED THE PROVINCE BRINGING COLD TEMPERATURES. THESE TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH BRISK WINDS ARE GIVING WIND CHILL VALUES BELOW MINUS 40. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AS THE RIDGE SETTLES INTO ALBERTA HOWEVER TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN COLD. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FROM THE STORM WERE GENERALLY IN THE 5 TO 10 CENTIMETRE RANGE THROUGH MOST OF THE PROVINCE. BLOWING SNOW GAVE DRIFTS MUCH HIGHER THAN THIS HOWEVER A FEW OF THE LARGEST SNOWFALL MEASUREMENTS AS OF 4 AM MST INCLUDE: COLD LAKE...............23 CM PINCHER CREEK........17-22 CM CORONATION..............12 CM THE COLDEST WIND CHILLS IN ALBERTA RECORDED AS OF 4 AM MST INCLUDE: GRANDE PRAIRIE..........-49 CALGARY AIRPORT.........-48 CORONATION..............-48 DEL BONITA..............-47 LACOMBE.................-47 VEGREVILLE..............-47 THREE HILLS.............-47 OLDS....................-47 EDMONTON INTL AIRPORT...-46 WHITECOURT..............-46 THE STRONGEST WINDS THIS SUNDAY IN ALBERTA CAME FROM ONEFOUR NEAR THE CYPRESS HILLS WITH A GUST OF 93 KM/H.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST PUBLIC FORECASTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS.


Monday
Morning
Monday
Afternoon
Monday
Evening
Monday
Overnight

Flurries Cloudy with sunny breaks Cloudy periods Clear
Temperature -31°C -29°C -31°C -39°C
Condition
Flurries
Cloudy with sunny breaks
Cloudy periods
Clear
P.O.P. 40% 20% 10% 0%
Feels Like -46 -42 - -
Wind N 25km/h NW 20km/h NW 10km/h NE 5km/h
Humidity 65% 64% 68% 79%
Snow trace - - -

From Monday Morning to Monday Overnight we expect trace of snow.




Tuesday
Jan 29
Wednesday
Jan 30
Thursday
Jan 31
Friday
Feb 1
Saturday
Feb 2
Sunday
Feb 3

Sunny Sunny Cloudy periods Variable cloudiness Cloudy Mainly sunny
High -29°C -28°C -26°C -20°C -12°C -16°C
Condition
Sunny
Sunny
Cloudy periods
Variable cloudiness
Cloudy
Mainly sunny
P.O.P. 0% 0% 10% 20% 30% 10%
Wind SE 10 km/h S 10 km/h E 10 km/h NW 5 km/h S 5 km/h S 10 km/h
Low -39°C -34°C -34°C -27°C -21°C -23°C


But at least we are not alone with extreme winter weather. Though in the U.S. they blame it on us.

An Alberta Clipper zipping through the Midwest today will bring snow to the East over the next few days, with a new shot of arctic air following close behind. Meanwhile, rain and snow continue today along the West Coast.

The clipper diving out of western Canada today is bringing snow to the Upper Midwest. The Winter Weather Center reports that the heaviest snow will fall on the northern tip of Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.







The cold stretches from the far north all the way down through Canada into the U.S. The West Coast is not immune facing record winter storms, including snow in LA. Thats Los Angeles not Leduc, Alberta. And it has even impacted as far West as China.


Heavy snow affects holiday travel
Xinhua, China - 39 minutes ago
The national meteorological authority says the freezing weather will continue to pummel provinces from west to east in the coming days, with heavy snow ..

Hong Kong - Dozens of flights and trains travelling between Hong Kong and mainland China were delayed or cancelled on Monday as central China remained in the grip of severe winter weather.

Snow storms cause deaths in China ahead of Lunar New Year
AFP - 19 hours ago
BEIJING (AFP) — The worst snows to hit parts of China for 50 years killed at least a dozen people at the weekend, state media said, with thousands more ...
Snow and ice cut power, close schools in Eastern Washington
Seattle Times, United States - 9 hours ago
Heavy snow has snapped power lines, closed roads and schools, and prompted Spokane officials to warn people to stay home. Thousands of people in Eastern ...

Snow and wind likely today
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 6 hours ago
Snow and wind likely will blast the Salt Lake Valley today and heighten avalanche danger early this week. A winter storm warning is under way until 6 pm ...

Storm brings more snow, traffic accidents to Reno-Tahoe area
San Diego Union Tribune, United States - 13 hours ago
Another powerful storm brought up to a foot of snow on Sunday to the Sierra Nevada, snarling traffic and shutting down some ski lifts. ...

Snow brings 3 inches to Hub, 7 to Cape
Boston Globe, United States - 18 hours ago
While Boston could end up with about 3 inches of snow today, Cape Cod and islands are getting hit with a northeaster that could leave up to 7 inches. ...
Cape and Islands battered by ocean stormBoston Herald
Third victim pulled from snow
Victorville Daily Press, CA - 26 Jan 2008
Avalanches are unusual in the San Gabriel Mountains, authorities said, but so was the 3 feet or more of new snow that hit the region in a matter of days ...
Southern California avalanches kill three Reuters
Actor Christopher Allport Dead After Avalanche TransWorldNews (press release)


Heavy snow to make driving dangerous in mountains
USA Today - 20 hours ago
DENVER (AP) — The winter storm that has battered California will begin moving into Colorado on Sunday afternoon with snow falling until the following ...

Weather causing problems statewide, snow still forecast for ...
Seattle Times, United States - 19 hours ago
Snow is still in the forecast for the Seattle area. According to the National Weather Service, there's a 50 percent chance of snow today, ...
Rare snow storm hits southern Willamette Valley
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, OR - 7 hours ago
(AP) — An unexpectedly strong snow storm dumped at least a half-foot of snow in the Eugene area, the most it has seen in more than a decade. ...


Can you say climate change/global warming.


SEE

You Don't Need A Weatherman

Rain Rain Go Away


Damn Cold


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