Avalanche, Central Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes
- When
- December 25, 12:00 AM PST
- Where
- Central Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
Avalanche in Washington, December 25, 1996
Two hikers were killed by an avalanche in Alpental Valley northwest of Snoqualmie Pass. It was unsure when and how the avalanche started.
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS SEW wrote it up.
Two hikers were killed by an avalanche in Alpental Valley northwest of Snoqualmie Pass. It was unsure when and how the avalanche started.
Event by event
1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche, Central Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes | 1996-12-25 | 19 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Avalanche, Central Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes | 1996-12-25 | 19 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Avalanche
- A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in South Carolina, December 25, 1996
- Cold in North Dakota, December 25, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Winter Storm in Iowa, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Cold in Kansas, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Debris Flows in Oregon, December 25 to 31, 1996
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 25 to 26, 1996
More
Every storm in Washington in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577214.