Spring avalanche danger looms as record-high deaths in Colorado approach

BY PAOLO ZIALCITA COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Conditions across the state are warming, and in the mountains, that means more avalanche hazards. e chance of “wet avalanches” increases when snowpack melts in the springtime. ose types of avalanches occur when layers of snow beneath the surface become unstable due to increased moisture. Colorado’s snowpack is 38 percentage points higher than the median for this time of year, according to the National Water and Climate Center. at means there’s even more potential runo than normal.

Brian Lazar, deputy director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, said the high amount of snow that’s fallen this winter has contributed to the high risk of wet avalanches. e state’s high-elevation areas have received snowfall as recently as the nal week of April.