Avalanche in Washington, January 18, 1998

Name: Avalanche in Washington, January 18, 1998
Start: 1998-01-18T15:00
End: 1998-01-18T15:00
Location: Washington

January 18, 1998 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 avalanche, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths: 1
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.

Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, East Slopes Southern Cascades

When: January 18, 3:00 PM PST
Where: East Slopes Southern Cascades forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect

A snowmobiler died Sunday afternoon in an avalanche near Blewett Pass. After riding up a relatively steep slope he was trying to turn his machine around when the slope above him gave way. He and his machine fell 400 to 500 feet and were buried under 2-3 feet of snow. Nearby snowmobilers used trail marker wands to probe for the victim but failed to find him. After avalanche control measures were taken Monday morning to protect rescuers, the victim was found Monday afternoon . He was located about 60 feet below and 20 feet across the slope from his machine.

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, East Slopes Southern Cascades	1998-01-18	38	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

Every storm in Washington in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, January 1998

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: 5660074.