Avalanche in Alaska

Events

81

Deaths

44

Injuries

17

Damage

$889,000

• Avalanche in Alaska, March 21, 19996 deaths · $25,000 · 1 eventA tragic avalanche, adjacent to Turnagain Pass on Saturday, took the lives of 6 people. After days of searching by many volunteers, 5 bodies were recovered.
• Blizzard and Ice Storm in Alaska, March 16 to 19, 19995 deaths · 100 kt wind · 14 eventsAn extremely intense storm moved up toward the extreme Western Aleutians late Tuesday continuing to just south of Adak as a 946mb center 9pm Wednesday.
• Avalanche in Alaska, February 3, 20012 deaths · 1 injured · 1 eventA group of snowmachiners Saturday triggered an avalanche on a slope south of Eureka, near the east fork of the Matanuska River.
• Avalanche in Alaska, January 12, 20022 deaths · 1 injured · $6,000 · 1 eventThree people were buried by an avalanche while snowmachining on an unsupported cornice. One was dug out of the snow by her husband.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 1, 20022 deaths · 1 event3 men snowshoeing in the mountains adjacent to Eagle River were caught in an avalanche. One escaped.
• Avalanche in Alaska, January 26, 20001 death · 1 injured · $500,000 · 1 eventAvalanche was reported at 5.5 mile on the road from the community of Cordova to the airport. The avalanche obliterated 4 homes and 1 warehouse. In one of the homes, two individuals were buried, one recovered after nearly 6 hours, the other deceased.
• Avalanche in Alaska, February 1, 20001 death · 2 injured · $100,000 · 1 eventWork crews were releasing snow loads when an avalanche occurred. One D6 caterpiller worker was killed when his 35,000 pound D6 was carried about 400 feet into Turnagain Arm. The cab was crushed.
• Blizzard and Avalanche in Alaska, February 1 to 3, 20121 death · $100,000 · 81 kt wind · 11 eventsA large intense north Pacific storm moved across Kodiak Island into the lower Cook Inlet and south central region of Alaska the afternoon of February 1st.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 16, 19991 death · 2 injured · $3,000 · 1 eventKenneth Hayes, 44, of Healy, Alaska was killed by an avalanche Friday afternoon. His body was recovered at about 10:30 am Saturday in the debris.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 29, 19991 death · 2 injured · 1 eventA slow moving slab avalanche swept Canadian mountaineer off a 20 to 30 degree slope and over a 1,000 to 1,500 foot drop. Slab apparently let go about 7 am Thursday, and was about 100 feet wide and 3 feet deep.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, December 25 to 27, 19991 death · $2,000 · 78 kt wind · 10 eventsBlizzard conditions were reported across much of the southwest Alaskan coast, Bristol Bay, the eastern Aleutians and Pribilofs Sunday. Wind gusts reached close to 50 mph in places, with local wind chills to 70 below calculated in the southwest interior.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 8, 20001 death · 1 injured · 1 eventAvalanche on Snow Shoe Peak (20 miles southeast of Talkeetna) pushed a skier and a snowboarder over a cliff. Both fell 200 feet. The snowboarder was injured, treated and released from the hospital. The skier was killed.
• Avalanche in Alaska, March 18, 20011 death · 1 injured · 1 eventAnother avalanche death, 6 miles east of the Richardson Monument at Mile 198 of the Richardson Highway (about 70 miles south of Delta Junction), was reported in Monday's Anchorage Daily News.
• Avalanche in Alaska, December 12, 20011 death · 1 injured · 1 eventFresh snowfall and apparent wind loading occurred during the days before the event. Five people were out on snowmachines in the Cordova area. One snowmachine became stuck, two individuals attempted to dig it out. An avalanche quickly ensued. Two were buried.
• Avalanche in Alaska, February 9, 20031 death · 1 injured · 1 eventTwo snow-boarders were caught in an avalanche off Hatch Peak (in Hatcher Pass). One dug out, the other was buried for 2 hours then finally dug out by rescuers who attempted, unsuccessfully, CPR.Heavy wet snow fell in the Pass during the prior week, with more than a foot since…
• Blizzard and Avalanche in Alaska, February 7 to 10, 20201 death · 77 kt wind · 7 eventsA chain of storms developed in the North Pacific and moved northward along the Alaska Peninsula. The successive storms brought cold air behind them, which caused high winds through the Aleutians, blizzards along the west coast, and wind and blizzards in Southcentral.
• Avalanche and High Wind in Alaska, November 22 to 24, 20171 death · 78 kt wind · 5 eventsA 974 mb low moved southward across the Alaska Peninsula and into the Gulf of Alaska. Behind this low, a 1039 high was centered over the Western Aleutians.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 15, 19991 death · $2,000 · 1 eventA backhoe and its operator, working on a construction project for the new Cordova Electric Cooperative hydroelectric plant, were caught up in an avalanche about noon on Thursday.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 3, 19991 death · $5,000 · 1 eventOdman Schmalzried, 40, of Wasilla, and friends were snowmachining in the Chugach Mountains south of Eureka Lodge Saturday afternoon, when an avalanche buried him and his snow machine. His body and the snow machine were found Sunday.
• Avalanche in Alaska, March 3 to 4, 19991 death · $5,000 · 1 eventOdman Schmalzried, 40, of Wasilla was buried by an avalanche in a remote valley in the Chugach Mountains south of Eureka Lodge Saturday afternoon.
• Avalanche in Alaska, April 8 to 9, 20001 death · $2,000 · 1 eventSnow machiner was buried by an avalanche Saturday. Alaska State Troopers said that the same snowmachiner had been caught in an avalanche earlier in the day while trying to highmark in the bowl.
• Avalanche in Alaska, December 9, 20001 death · $2,000 · 1 eventAvalanche fatality occurred Saturday, 9 December 2000 between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm. The put-in was in an area north of Dunkle Mine, around milepost 196 on the Parks Highway.
• Avalanche in Alaska, November 11, 20011 death · 1 eventA small wind slab avalanche released under a 30 year old woman and her male friend. The slide carried the two about 100 yards down the slope. The man came to rest on top of the snow. The woman was buried, head-down, under three feet of snow.
• Avalanche in Alaska, December 23, 20011 death · $500 · 1 eventRussel Foster, Anchorage, his girlfriend and fiveother snowmachiners were with a group riding in the ChugachNational Forest off Palmer Creek Road near the old Swetmann MineSunday.Sometime after 1 p.m., Foster, 35, headed up a slope abovethe rest of the riders, according to State…
• Avalanche in Alaska, December 24, 20011 death · $500 · 1 eventDwayne Dufford, 30, was snowmachining with severalfriends Monday. He was buried by an avalanche sometime duringthe afternoon...exact details are currently unavailable.

Avalanche everywhereEvery kind of event in Alaska

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.