5/15/2009
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Despite 330 inches of snow, ITD avalanche team keeps notorious "avalanche alley" open for record number of days
BOISE -- The month of May brings forth images of daffodils, tulips and other early spring bulbs, as well as the color of green returning to lawns and trees. Up in the high country of Idaho, however, white still dominates nature's canvas with the remnants of winter snowpack. For the Idaho Transportation Department's avalanche team, May 1 signals the end of digging snow pits and collecting data.
The snow total for the season in Canyon Creek was 330 inches. There are 54 avalanche chutes along the 11-mile section. Often called avalanche alley, Canyon Creek experiences about 90 percent of the state's slides that threaten highways.
The avalanche season officially extends from December 1 to May 1 in Idaho. Lead ITD avalanche forecaster Bill Nicholson released his annual report this week detailing efforts to keep Highway 21 through Canyon Creek -- the state's most notorious stretch of avalanche chutes -- open throughout the season with as few closures as possible.
According to the report, 45 avalanches reached the highway between Banner Summit and Grandjean Junction this year. However, the road only needed to be closed for a total of about 21 days. That's a record for the corridor and good news for the growing communities around Stanley, Challis, and Salmon, as well as for recreational traffic heading up from the valley into the mountains of central Idaho.
Nicholson credits this year's success to the hard work of his staff, which includes Mick Riffie and Todd Hannon, as well as to enhanced coordinated efforts with the National Weather Service to produce twice-daily weather forecasts, greatly improving forecast confidence.
ITD also reminds motorists to dial 511 or go to the Traveler Services Web site, 511.idaho.gov, to check for updates on highway projects and conditions on the state highway system.