Avalanche
NOAA Storm Events type · 871 records since 1996 · 17 states and territories
The National Weather Service defines avalanche as: "A mass of snow, sometimes containing rocks, ice, trees, or other debris, that moves rapidly down a steep slope, resulting in a fatality, injury, or significant damage." NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 871 avalanche records from 1996 through June 30, 2026, the most in Colorado (273), with 463 deaths recorded.
How the National Weather Service files avalanche
A mass of snow, sometimes containing rocks, ice, trees, or other debris, that moves rapidly down a steep slope, resulting in a fatality, injury, or significant damage. If a search team inadvertently starts another avalanche, it will be entered as a new Avalanche event.
National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605, Storm Data Preparation (July 26, 2021), Appendix A, entry 2
Source: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605. Read the instruction (PDF).
Avalanche, 1996 to 2026
Records per year (2026 to June 30, 2026).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $10 million
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- $10 billion or more, or 1,000 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 8711996 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths
- 463308 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $7.3Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Counties with a record
- 241of 3,266
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026. Search the record at NCEI.
Where do avalanche records happen?
States
Counties
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).
When do avalanche records happen?
49% of its avalanche records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February.
The values, month by month
Jan 200 · Feb 229 · Mar 173 · Apr 64 · May 22 · Jun 3 · Jul 3 · Aug 3 · Sep 5 · Oct 9 · Nov 28 · Dec 132 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
The deadliest avalanche records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-15 | AvalancheAlpine County and 3 more, CA · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area Nevada Co Sheriff responded to a report of avalanche just north of Frog Lake near Castle Peak during the afternoon on the 17th. The avalanche caught a buried 15 backcountry skiers, resulting in 9 fatalities. | 9 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-03-21 | AvalancheCook Inlet, AK · forecast zone Cook Inlet A tragic avalanche, adjacent to Turnagain Pass on Saturday, took the lives of 6 people. After days of searching by many volunteers, 5 bodies were recovered. The avalanche was triggered by snowmachiners 'high-marking' on the mountain slope during a warm, sunny day...after heavy snows several days before. | 6 | 0 | $44K | |
| 2013-04-20 | AvalancheBoulder County and 4 more, CO · forecast zone S & Se Grand / W Central & Sw Boulder / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Summit / N & W Park Counties Above 9000 Feet A large avalanche killed five snowboarders over Loveland Pass. | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-02-06 | AvalancheJuab County and 4 more, UT · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80 The Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center reported that two groups, totaling eight people, were backcountry skiing at Wilson Glade in Millcreek Canyon, when an avalanche was triggered. The avalanche caught and buried six of the people, leading to four fatalities, while two survived, one with injuries. The avalanche ... | 4 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-02-01 | AvalancheGunnison County and 3 more, CO · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains A group of backcountry skiers triggered a large avalanche while on a multi-day trip in the mountains near The Nose, Middle Fork Mineral Creek southeast of Ophir. This was a soft slab avalanche that was 1000 feet wide and ran 1500 vertical feet. Four skiers were caught in the avalanche with 3 fatalities. Please visit ... | 3 | 4 | – | |
| 2008-01-25 | AvalancheLos Angeles County, CA · forecast zone Los Angeles County Mountains Excluding The Santa Monica Range Several avalanches occurred near the Mountain High Ski Resort in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles county. Three male skiers died as a result of the avalanches. | 3 | 3 | – | |
| 2020-01-07 | AvalancheBenewah County and 3 more, ID · forecast zone Central Panhandle Mountains Broadcast media reported an Avalanche at the Silver Mountain Ski Resort. | 3 | 2 | – | |
| 1999-02-06 | AvalancheGunnison County, CO · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park / W Lake / W Chaffee / Wc To Ec Gunnison A group of 4 college students were caught in an avalanche which was triggered by one of the skiers while traversing a slope just below the summit on Cumberland Pass, which is about 25 miles east-northeast of Gunnison in the Sawatch Mountain Range. The entire slope at the 12,000 foot elevation fractured 6 feet deep and ... | 3 | 1 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths direct and indirect as filed.
The most recent avalanche records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-13 | AvalancheBenewah County and 3 more, ID · forecast zone Central Panhandle Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-07 | AvalancheEagle County and 2 more, CO · forecast zone Gore And Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | AvalancheClark County and 2 more, ID · forecast zone Centennial Mountains-Island Park | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | AvalancheMoffat County and Routt County, CO · forecast zone Elkhead And Park Mountains | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | AvalancheJuab County and 4 more, UT · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80 | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-02-21 | AvalancheGunnison County and 4 more, CO · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-02-21 | AvalancheJuab County and 4 more, UT · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80 | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | AvalancheJuab County and 4 more, UT · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80 | 1 | 1 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.