COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY THE THE MOUNTAIN PASSES MAY BE OPEN BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE THREAT FOR
AVALANCHES IS OVER AND KING5
MICHAEL CROW CAUGHT THIS
AVALANCHE NEAR SNOQUALMIE PASS
YOU WERE JUST SEEING THERE AS
IT WAS HAPPENING.
WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING
WITH US TONIGHT.
I'M JESSICA JANYCE CASTRO.
I'M GREG COPELAND.
THE SILLIAC IS STILL EXTREMELY
UNSTABLE TONIGHT AND IT'S
POSING CHALLENGES FOR THE
PEOPLE WHO KEEP US SAFE IN THE
OUTDOORS.
WEDNET MISSION IS LIVE AT
SNOQUALMIE PASS TONIGHT WITH
MORE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN
GETTING HAMMERED UP THERE AS
WELL.
YEAH, GREG, FOR SURE.
I MEAN LIKE YOU COULD TELL FROM
MICHAEL'S PICTURES THERE JUST
HOW DANGEROUS THE SNOW CAN BE
AND AS YOU COULD SEE IT IS
STILL COMING DOWN EXCEPT THIS
IS MORE OF IN THE FORM
OF GROPPLE.
BUT ANYWAYS WHATEVER BEFORE IT
IS IMPACTING THE SNOW PACK
RIGHT NOW AND THAT HAS A LOT
OF FOLKS CONCERNED NOW FROM
SNOQUALMIE PASS UP TO STEVENS
THERE IS A HIGH AVALANCHE RISK
AND OF COURSE THOSE ARE THE
AREAS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE
TO RECREATE IN THE WINTER.
YOU KNOW, AS TEMPTING AS ALL
THIS FRESH POWDER MIGHT BE, THE
PROS ARE BEGGING YOU TO BE
PATIENT AND TO GET EDUCATED
WITH NEWS OF MORE POWDER WINTER
ENTHUSIASTS MAYBE TEMPTED TO GO
OUT IN IT BUT IT'S WHAT'S
BURIED UNDERNEATH THAT'S THE
CAUSE FOR CONCERN.
THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE WHAT'S YOU
KNOW, THREE FEET OR SIX FEET
BELOW YOU.
NOT JUST THE SNOW THAT FELL
OVERNIGHT RAN THRIFT IS THE
ASSISTANT PATROL DIRECTOR AT
THE SUMMIT AT SNOQUALMIE.
HE SAYS THERE'S A WWEEK SNOW
LAYER FROM A JANUARY STORM AND
THAT'S WHAT'S GIVING HIM AND
HIS TEAM A LOT OF DIFFICULTY AT
WET HEAVY SNOW ON TOP OF IT AND
THAT WEAK LAYER COULD GIVE WAY
THE DEEPER IT GETS, THE HARDER
IT IS TO TRIGGER BUT THE
GREATER THE CONSEQUENCES ARE.
THE ZEMEK DECIDED TO CLOSE
ALPENTAL THIS WEEKEND JUST TO
BE SAFE AND THEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN WE GOT OUR ENTIRE WINTER
IN THE LAST TEN DAYS.
RON GOERENS, CHAIRMAN OF THE
KITTITAS COUNTY SEARCH AND
RESCUE SAYS WITH ALL THAT NEW
SNOW HE'S SEEN AN INCREASE IN
RECREATIONALISTS HIS TEAM OF 65
VOLUNTEERS HAVE GONE ON CALLS
OF LOST HIKERS AND SNOWMOBILERS
AND ALSO SADLY A FATAL
AVALANCHE.
PEOPLE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO BE
AWARE OF WHAT THEY'RE WHAT
THEY'RE UP AGAINST WHEN THEY GO
OUT IN THE BACKCOUNTRY.
ANY TIME YOU STEP ONTO A TRAIL
IN THE WINTER YOUR RISK
INCREASES RUN SAYS GEAR AN
AVALANCHE EDUCATION IS
ESSENTIAL BUT NOT JUST AN
ONLINE CLASS HANDS-ON RESCUE
CLASSES ARE THE BEST WAY TO
EQUIP YOURSELF IN CASE YOU OR
YOUR PARTNER GETS ARBERY TO
KNOW THE PROCEDURE AND TO KNOW
WHAT IT PHYSICALLY TAKES TO
RESCUE SOMEONE, GET THE
TRAINING AND GET THE KNOWLEDGE
AS FAR AS SKI PATROLLERS
WORKING TO GET THE MOUNTAIN IN
TIP TOP SHAPE THEY ASK FOR ONE
THING PATIENTS UNDERSTAND THAT
MAYBE THERE ARE CERTAIN DAYS
WHERE THERE'S PLACES IN THE
MOUTNAINS THAT MAYBE YOU
SHOULDN'T BE ORRRRR YOU JUST
CAN'T GET THERE AS SOON AS
YOU'D LIKE TO.
THE BRAND SAYS ALPENTAL WILL BE
OPEN TOMORROW.
IT MIGHT BE DELAYED JUST
BECAUSE OF THE AVALANCE CONTROL
WORK AND NOT ALL THE GATES
ESPECIALLY THE GATES OF THE
BATBOLD WILL BE OPEN BUT
ALPENTAL ITSELF WILL BE OPEN TO
BORROW.
NOW AS FAR AS GEAR YOU KNOW RON
SAID THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO
EQUIP YOURSELF VERY WELL BEFORE
YOU HEAD OUT IN THE BACKCOUNTRY
IN ONE THING WHETHER YOU ARE
GOING INTO AVALANCE TERRAIN OR
JUST HIKING IN GENERAL, HE SAYS
ONE THING THAT YOU REALLY
SHOULD GET IS ONE OF THESE THE
PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON AND ON
IT IT'S AN S.O.S. BUTTON THAT
ALLOWS YOU TO TALK DIRECTLY
WITH RESCUERS AND THEN THEY CAN
SEE YOUR EXACT WORDS IT SO
WHEREVER YOU ARE YOU GET HEARD
OUT A TRAIL, YOU GET LOST IN
THE WINTER, PRESS THIS BUTTON
ON THIS DEVICE AND YOU WILL BE
HOOKED UP WITH RESCUERS.
SO AGAIN, ANOTHER LAYER
OF SAFETY BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT
UNTIL THE WILDERNESS WHERE THE
CONDITIONS RIGHT NOW ARE JUST
NOT GREAT GUYS, THAT'S
MISCIAGNA UP.
IT WAS SNOQUALMIE PASS FOR US
TONIGHT HOPEFULLY WON'T GET TOO
MUCH WORSE UP THERE FOR YOU.
ALSO HEADS UP FOR DRIVERS
PORTION OF STEVENS PASS IS
CLOSED TONIGHT BECAUSE OF AN
AVALANCHE THERE PASSES CLOSE
SIX MILES WEST OF THE SUMMIT
OF STEVENS ALL THE WAY FROM
STEVENS TO MERRITT.
RHODES WILL STAY CLOSED
OVERNIGHT.
CREWS WILL REASSESS IN THE
MORNING.
WHITE PASS IS OPEN TONIGHT.
THE TRACTION TIRES ARE ADVISED
THERE ARE LIMITATIONS FOR
OVERSIZE VEHICLES.
CRAIG HERRERA JOINING US NOW.
CRAIG, ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
SNOW THAT YOU'RE TRACKING,
YOU'RE ALSO TRACKING FLOOD
WARNINGS, RIGHT?
FLOOD WARNINGS FOR SEVERAL
RIVERS AND FLOOD WATCHES AS
WELL JESSICA.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE ATMOSPHERIC
RIVER IS MOVING SOUTH, YEAH, WE
STILL HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF RAIN
STILL MOVING INTO ALL OF THE
.
. SO
. SO HERE'S A LOOK AT THE SATELLITE AND RADAR AND A LOT
OF THAT MOISTURE HAS MOVED TO
THE SOUTH.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO POINT
OUT.
BUT AS WE LOOK AT THE FLOOD
WATCHES AND WARNINGS, ALL
OF THE BRIGHT GREEN THAT YOU
SEE HERE HERE ARE ALL THE
RIVERS LISTED THAT ARE
CURRENTLY UNDER A FLOOD WARNING
WHICH MEANS THEY ARE FLOODING
OR FLOODING IS IMMINENT AND
THIS ARE ALL OVER THE FLOOD
STAGE IN YELLOW.
I POSTED THE APPROXIMATE TIME
THEY'RE EXPECTED TO GO BELOW
FLOOD STAGE AND THEN THE DARKER
GREEN THAT YOU