SNOW-AVALANCHE HAZARDS IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA: METEOROLOGIC AND CLIMATOLOGIC ASPECTS

Abstract

Hazardous snow avalanches in Glacier National Park, Montana, are associated with a variety of meteorologic conditions: heavy snow; heavy snows followed by a rise in air temperature to above freezing; a rise in air temperature to above freezing, without precipitation; and rain in association with above-freezing air temperatures. Years of major, widespread avalanching may be recognized by examination of historical information and tree-ring data. Avalanche types include slab avalanches, wet snow avalanches, and dry loose snow avalanches. February is the peak avalanche month. Intraannual seasonalities of avalanche trigger mechanisms and type of avalanche are related. The presence of sun crusts in some cases provides unstable stratigraphic planes in the snowpack over which freshly deposited snow may glide. Destructive windblasts also occur in association with some avalanches. Insufficient data from east of the Continental Divide precluded a comparison of avalanche type and trigger mechanisms from the western a...