Avalanche
A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage. Every one the National Weather Service has filed, by year and by state, with the deadliest and costliest.
The deadliest and costliest on the map
The deadliest and costliest avalanche episodes on record.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 871
- Deaths
- 463
- Injuries
- 308
- Damage
- $5.3 million
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.
Every year
Deaths each year
The deadliest
Deaths from this kind of event within each episode.
- Avalanche and Heavy Snow in California, February 15 to 18, 2026The first in a series of strong winter storms impacted the eastern Sierra and northeast CA from the 16th to 17th. In this two day period, upwards of 2 to 4 feet of snow fell, and was accompanied by winds upwards of 80-100 mph.
- Avalanche in Alaska, March 21, 1999A 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.
- Avalanche in Washington, December 1 to 2, 2007Two hikers were killed, and one injured, by an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass. 3 snowboarders are presumed dead near Crystal Mountain.
- Avalanche in Colorado, April 20, 2013A large avalanche pushed a group of six snow boarders into the Sheep Creek gully of Loveland Pass. This is near but outside the Loveland Ski Area boundary. Five of the six members of the group were completely buried. The survivor was was partially buried.
- Avalanche in Utah, December 10 to 11, 2004Several days of heavy wet snow combined with strong winds to produce extreme avalanche conditions in the Wasatch Mountains. 4 people lost their lives in avalanches during this two day period.
- Avalanche and Heavy Snow in Washington, February 17 to 19, 2012A strong front and moist westerly flow in its wake produced heavy snow in the Cascades. 3 different avalanches killed 4 and injured one.
- Avalanche in Utah, February 6, 2021A backcountry avalanche at Wilson Glade in Millcreek Canyon, just outside of Salt Lake City, caught and fully buried six people, killing four within the group.
- Avalanche in Washington, January 11, 1997An avalanche killed 3 hikers. The hikers left on Dec. 27th, didn't return on the 29th as expected and weren't found until Jan 11th. They were found buried in an avalanche near Index.
- Avalanche in Colorado, February 6, 1999A group of 4 college students were caught in an avalanche which was triggered by one of the skiers while traversing a slope just below the summit on Cumberland Pass, which is about 25 miles east-northeast of Gunnison in the Sawatch Mountain Range.
- Avalanche in Utah, December 26, 2003Three snowboarders were killed as a large avalanche swept down the mountain near the Aspen Grove area around Sundance.
- Avalanche in Utah, February 17 to 18, 2007An unstable snowpack resulted in an increased number of avalanches across the region.
- Avalanche in Wyoming, January 12, 2008Three men were killed near Cottonwood Lake when an avalanche enveloped them and their snowmobiles. The slide was estimated to have been one-half mile long, 400 yards wide at the bottom, and covered about 10 acres at an average depth of 10 feet in the runout zone.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, January 23 to 25, 2008A very powerful winter storm brough significant weather to Central and Southern California. This storm produced several inches of rainfall across the area.
- Avalanche in Wyoming, February 27, 2009A group of four snowmobilers triggered a mile long, 100 yard wide avalanche in the Deadhorse Creek drainage near Alpine in Lincoln County.
- Avalanche in Idaho, January 7, 2020On the morning of January 7th an avalanche occurred at the Silver Mountain Ski Resort near Kellogg, Idaho. Three skiers died and two others were fully buried but were pulled alive from the snow.
- Avalanche in Colorado, February 1, 2021A series of strong winter storms brought heavy snow to the mountains of southwest Colorado in late January 2021 with new snowfall amounts up to 35.5 inches reported. Strong winds associated with these storms resulted in heavy snow loading on windward slopes.
- Avalanche in Washington, February 19, 2023An incoming system brought heavy mountain snow of at least 18 inches and strong winds of 60 plus MPH.
- Avalanche and Flooding in Utah, January 7 to 12, 2005A stalled storm system just off the southern California coast was able to tap abundant tropical moisture from the central Equatorial Pacific Ocean and dump copious amounts of rain and wet snow on many portions of Utah.
- Winter Storm and Avalanche in Utah, February 16 to 19, 2026A strong and moist trough pushed inland during the middle portion of February, leading to several days of impactful weather.
- Avalanche and High Wind in Washington, January 1, 2008Just north of the Mount Baker ski area, 2 snowmobilers died and 1 was injured in an avalanche. Strong winds accompanied this weather event in portions of western Washington as well.
- Winter Storm and Avalanche in Utah, February 5 to 10, 2014A series of moist weather disturbances moved across Utah during the second week of February, bringing an extended period of snowfall to northern Utah. In addition to the new snow, two avalanche fatalities occurred during this period of time.
- Avalanche in Alaska, January 12, 2002Three people were buried by an avalanche while snowmachining on an unsupported cornice. One was dug out of the snow by her husband.
- Avalanche and Heavy Snow in Utah, May 4 to 9, 2024A cold season type of trough and associated surface features moved through Utah in early May. Ahead of the system, strong synoptic wind gusts occurred throughout portions of the state. While wind gusts decreased following a cold frontal passage, precipitation increased.
- Avalanche in Colorado, March 13, 2007Unstable snowpack resulted in avalanches in some of the mountains of western Colorado.
- Avalanche in Washington, December 25, 1996Two hikers were killed by an avalanche in Alpental Valley northwest of Snoqualmie Pass. It was unsure when and how the avalanche started.
The costliest
Damage from this kind of event within each episode, in the dollars of its year.
- Avalanche in Washington, February 7, 2008
- Debris Flow and Avalanche in Washington, January 7 to 11, 2009
- Avalanche in Alaska, January 26, 2000
- Avalanche and Flood in California, January 9 to 10, 2023
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Montana, February 27 to 28, 2014
- Blizzard and Avalanche in California, January 27 to 29, 2021
- Avalanche in Colorado, January 6 to 12, 2005
- Avalanche in Colorado, January 24, 2010
- Avalanche in Idaho, April 8, 2019
- Avalanche in Alaska, February 7, 2000
- Avalanche in Alaska, February 1, 2000
- Debris Flow and Avalanche in Utah, April 10 to 13, 2023
- Flash Flooding and Avalanche in California, March 2 to 3, 2004
- Avalanche in Colorado, March 29, 1998
- Winter Storm and Avalanche in California, February 25 to 28, 2011
- Avalanche in Utah, March 14, 1998
- Debris Flow and Avalanche in Utah, April 6 to 11, 2023
- Avalanche and Flood in Nevada, February 4 to 6, 2024
- Avalanche in Colorado, January 10, 2017
- Avalanche in Alaska, March 21, 1999
- Avalanche in Alaska, March 9 to 10, 2000
- Avalanche and Flood in Alaska, February 3 to 10, 1996
- Flash Flooding and Winter Storm in Idaho, February 2 to 28, 1999
- Avalanche in Utah, March 14, 2002
- Flash Flood and Winter Storm in California, March 1 to 2, 2023
By state
| State or waters | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 273 | 121 | 92 | $525,000 |
| Utah | 101 | 81 | 46 | $259,000 |
| Idaho | 91 | 38 | 12 | $251,000 |
| Wyoming | 91 | 53 | 37 | $15,000 |
| Alaska | 81 | 44 | 17 | $889,000 |
| Washington | 66 | 54 | 41 | $2.1 million |
| Montana | 58 | 26 | 12 | $325,000 |
| California | 56 | 30 | 29 | $910,000 |
| Nevada | 15 | 3 | 7 | $50,000 |
| Oregon | 12 | 6 | 8 | |
| Arizona | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Mexico | 6 | 2 | 1 | $2,000 |
| Virginia | 5 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| New Hampshire | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| New York | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nebraska | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Every kind of event
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Hail
- Flash Flood
- High Wind
- Winter Storm
- Drought
- Winter Weather
- Tornado
- Heavy Snow
- Flood
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind
- Heat
- Heavy Rain
- Strong Wind
- Excessive Heat
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Lightning
- Dense Fog
- Blizzard
- Frost/Freeze
- Ice Storm
- High Surf
- Funnel Cloud
- Wildfire
- Tropical Storm
- Waterspout
- Coastal Flood
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Debris Flow
- Hurricane (Typhoon)
- Dust Storm
- Rip Current
- Storm Surge/Tide
- Marine High Wind
- Sleet
- Avalanche
- Marine Hail
- Astronomical Low Tide
- Marine Tropical Storm
- Tropical Depression
- Freezing Fog
- Lakeshore Flood
- Dust Devil
- Marine Strong Wind
- Dense Smoke
- Marine Hurricane/Typhoon
- Volcanic Ashfall
- Seiche
- Sneakerwave
- Volcanic Ash
- Tsunami
- Marine Tropical Depression
- Marine Dense Fog
- Northern Lights
- Marine Lightning
- Hurricane
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.