Let it snow!

A change in the jet stream has made for an unusually warm and wet fall here in Alaska. The latest result has been a large landslide in Denali National Park.

Below is a aerial photo of the Denali park road at approximately Mile 37. This site is west of Tattler Creek, on the section of road going up to Sable Pass.

 

The slide, which consists of an estimated 30,000 yards of rock and soil, covers approximately 200 feet of the road in depths of up to 35 feet. The material was released from a point 500 feet above the road, and flowed south below the road. No one was hurt and crews are working to remove the debris.

Still, all this rain down low has been snow on Denali! The peak revealed itself today and looks cozily covered in tons of snow. That bodes well for good glacier travel conditions next summer. Later in the winter it can be too cold and windy to get much snow accumulation on the glaciers.

Hope you all are having a good start to winter.