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| Whiteout and flat light navigation in the Tatoosh Range. April 2019 |
This week has been a stormy one at Mount Rainier. Over the
past two days, we have received over 30” of new snow at Paradise. Additionally,
over 5” of water has fallen there in the past week; some of this was rain and
the remainder snow. Whiteout conditions have been constant and navigation has
been challenging, even when using all of the available tools (GPS, map,
compass, altimeter, good decision-making skills). All considered, it feels like
winter has returned to the mountain.
Rangers in the field today avoided avalanche terrain, but found between 2-3 feet of recent
storm snow sitting on top of last week’s old, melted snow surface. This new snow
has been blowing around, increasing avalanche danger and reducing visibility.
Please consult the Northwest Avalanche Center for the current avalanche forecast as part of your trip planning process. With a slight rise in temperature, the
new snowfall rapid transitioned from powder into “Cascade Concrete,” and ski quality was fair at best. Beware that the snow will continue to change with the weather and surface conditions and avalanche danger will change correspondingly.
The weather for this weekend looks to largely continue this stormy trend
with sustained snowfall and windy conditions. Be sure to consult the weather forecast before your trip and come prepared for winter-like conditions. Just a
reminder that the gate in Longmire closes to downhill at 5:30PM (depending on conditions, of course), so
depart from the trailhead with plenty of time to make it down to Longmire before it's locked.
