How Seattle became home to one of the nation’s best avalanche forecast centers

Near Lake Tahoe in California, an avalanche of snow, rock, and other debris descended upon a group returning from a three-day backcountry trip. Eight were found dead, and one remains missing.

The recent colder weather across the Western U.S. and surges of moisture into the Sierra Mountains resulted in feet of snow falling along with strong winds, setting the stage for this tragic avalanche to occur.

The Pacific Northwest is fortunate to have one of the best avalanche forecast centers in the nation in Seattle. The Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this winter season.

NWAC serves the region with science-based avalanche forecasts, focusing on public safety, including community-driven education programs. The center began with a few passionate snow scientists working out of the University of Washington, and has since evolved and grown into a nationally distinguished avalanche center.

Northwest Avalanche Center is born

In the 1970s, the rising popularity of mountain winter recreation in the Western U.S. led to a sharp rise in avalanche fatalities, resulting in an urgent need for more avalanche danger information and ease of use. In the middle of that decade, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle, Mount Rainier National Park, and the Snoqualmie National Forest began a collaboration toward meeting this urgent need to help save lives in the region’s mountains.

Three young scientists from the Montlake campus were recruited to create this avalanche center: snow scientist Ed LaChapelle, and graduate students Mark Moore and Rich Marriott. Their first official avalanche forecast was issued on December 6, 1975.

Moving into the 1980s, engineer Phil Taylor and snow scientist Sue Ferguson joined the team. Other agencies also joined the effort, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and the National Park Service, all contributing funding and resources to support the center.

Gotta have the data

One key element in avalanche forecast operations is data — ground truth information. Phil Taylor was instrumental in engineering much of the mountain weather measuring equipment that could withstand harsh mountain weather conditions, including wind instruments, snow boards, and other sensors still in use today.

A wind sensor encased in rime ice. (Photo courtesy of the Northwest Avalanche Center)

“To say that his contributions to our industry are overlooked would be an understatement,” current NWAC forecaster Andy Harrington said about Phil. “Although never in the spotlight, he worked closely with some of the pioneers of our industry to create instrumentation that helps us all perform our jobs better. The tools and guidance he provided over the years have allowed so many of us to better understand factors that contribute to avalanches in the mountains.”

In the late 1970s, the NWAC became co-located with the NWS Seattle office. Getting the growing set of mountain weather stations to the forecast office was a challenge in that era. During summers, the team would venture to targeted sites to establish or repair weather stations, including the use of phone lines to carry the data back to Seattle.

Data was also collected from operators at local ski areas, WSDOT, Park Service staff, and others, and shared with the NWAC on a daily basis.

NWAC grows its team

The NWAC operated on a shoestring budget with just three dedicated forecasters well into the 1990s. In 1999, the nonprofit Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center was founded to help support the growing public education and fundraising needs. The nonprofit would eventually merge with the U.S. Forest Service’s NWAC as a sole operation.

With this additional community support, the NWAC continued to grow in forecasters, mountain weather data, and support staff. Today, the NWAC has 11 seasonal forecasters, six full-time nonprofit staff, 4,000-plus Friends members providing valuable financial support each year, over 100 passionate volunteers donating their time and talents, a growing number of community instructors, and more.

In addition, other organizations have joined the effort to help save lives in the mountains as the enthusiasm for outdoor mountain recreation continues to rise. Several corporate sponsors, Washington State Parks, and the Pacific NW Ski Area Association are among those additional organizations.

As the NWAC moves through its golden anniversary winter season, the center plans to continue to grow in the years ahead and provide even better avalanche forecast information as technology continues to evolve.

Visit nwac.us for all the Pacific Northwest avalanche information. Know before you go, so you are better prepared as you head into the backcountry.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on X and Bluesky. Read more of his stories here.