Name: How avalanches form and what to do if you find yourself in one
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T02:29:18.294Z
Duration: 3 min 13 s
Description: Four people in the U.S. have been killed in avalanches so far this year, according to the National Avalanche Center. CBS News Colorado meteorologist Joe Ruch explains the science behind avalanches and shares safety tips.

Four people in the U.S. have been killed in avalanches so far this year, according to the National Avalanche Center. CBS News Colorado meteorologist Joe Ruch explains the science behind avalanches and shares safety tips.

The National Avalanche Center has reported four avalanche-related deaths in the United States this year, with fatalities occurring in Wyoming, Washington State, and California's Sierra Nevada. On average, the Center predicts 25 to 30 avalanche deaths each winter, primarily in the mountainous regions of the western U.S. such as the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades.

Meteorologist Joe Rook explained that avalanches are most likely on steep slopes with rapidly changing weather and uneven snow distribution. Warning signs include recent avalanche activity, visible cracks in the snow, and warming temperatures. If caught in an avalanche, experts advise moving sideways, shedding heavy gear, and creating an air pocket to increase survival chances. Carrying safety equipment like a beacon, shovel, and probe is also recommended for those venturing into risky areas.

How avalanches form and what to do if you find yourself in one

According to the National Avalanche Center, four people in the U.S. have been killed in avalanches this year. The deaths occurred in Wyoming, Washington State, and California, Sierra, Nevada. The National Avalanche Center, which operates under the U.S. Forest Service, predicts an average of 25 to 30 avalanche deaths in the U.S. each winter. CBS News Colorado meteorologist Joe Rook joins us now. So Joe, which areas of the U.S. are most susceptible to avalanches? Yeah, so Lindsay, what we're gonna be watching is the most common areas, the western United States in our mountainous regions. That's the Rockies from Colorado all the way up to Wyoming, Montana, the Sierras, as well as the Cascades. That'll include Washington and Oregon. You look at all these locations, what do they have in common? Well, it's peaks from 11,000 to over 14,000 feet. That means we have steep slopes and very violently changing weather, and that really does help to enhance the risk. What causes avalanches? What are some of the early warning signs, and what should someone do for the best chances of survival if they're caught in one? So the first ingredient, what we were just touching on, you need a high-risk slope. That's the angle between 35 and 45 degrees. This is the perfect number. Gravity is heavy enough to pull the snow down, but it's also light enough to allow snow to pile up, so you need the perfect, really, ingredients there. All right, on top of that, you're blowing all this snow around, creating really uneven weights of the snow. In one area, it can be very light. In another, where all the wind is funneling that in, you can get a very heavy pile of snow. And your final ingredient, you bring these all together, what we're seeing a lot of this year is rapidly changing weather. I call it violently because we can get a big storm and our temperatures warm up. So you take these three ingredients, and then for this year, what we're really seeing, producing our avalanche danger, is just how slow of a snow season it's been. Our base layer of snow is just not enough, so now we're throwing in a bit more active pattern, a weak base layer, heavier storms piling on top. You're just really watching the perfect recipe to be getting all of these avalanches. Now, what we are watching, early warning signs, this one's pretty obvious. If there's fresh avalanche activity on a nearby slope, it's probably best to avoid the backcountry hill that you are on. The other thing is cracks in the snow or rapidly warming temperatures. All of these are just key ingredients to produce the perfect storm in a bad way. Now, let's say you miss these warning signs and you do get stuck in an avalanche. Believe it or not, it's actually better to go sideways. You won't outrun the avalanche. Getting to the side is your best bet. But if that doesn't work and you're caught in it, heavy gear, strip that, try to create an air pocket. That really will be your key because if you try to dig out, think about it, the snow will actually compress onto you. That's the worst case scenario. So your key takeaways, avoid avalanche terrain when the danger is elevated. And if you are headed out, against our caution, carry a beacon, a shovel, and a probe if you're traveling across the backcountry. Awesome information. All right, Joe Rupp, thank you so much.

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