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2026 Archive Index - All Editions

Welcome to 2026! We archive news by calendar year and links to the index pages should have been updated to this years page. For recent editions you still need to go to the 2025 page. If you find any incorrect links report that to snow@csac.org

In This Edition:

Avalanche Traps Three Shepherds in Türkiye’s Artvin

Three shepherds were caught under a snow avalanche in Türkiye’s Artvin province. The incident occurred in Zekerya village of the Ardanuç district, where the shepherds were tending their sheep flocks when the avalanche struck, The Caspian Post reports via Turkish media. Search and rescue operations are currently (12/31) underway in the area to locate and assist those trapped.
Source ... (Caspian Post)

An incident unfolded in the Black Sea city of Artvin on Dec. 31, where one shepherd died and two went missing after an avalanche. The avalanche hit a plateau at an altitude of around 2,300 meters, catching three shepherds and their livestock in its path. Authorities later confirmed that the body of one shepherd had been recovered. Search and rescue operations are continuing under challenging weather conditions to locate the remaining two missing shepherds, one of whom is identified as an Afghan national.
Source ... (Hurriyet Daily News)

Avalanches hit eastern Turkey, 1 missing, evacuations

A dual wave of avalanches struck residential areas in the eastern province of Van on Jan. 1, leaving one person missing and forcing the evacuation of 22 homes. The first avalanche caused extensive structural damage to several homes but left no residents injured. In a race to ensure public safety, authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of 22 homes, relocating displaced residents to school dormitories as they brace against the looming threat of further slides.

A second avalanche struck another neighborhood in the same district, leaving one person injured and another reported missing beneath the snow, local media reported. With 105 settlements already cut off from transportation in the district, authorities issued a dire warning for continued heavy snowfall and high avalanche risks across the region's steep slopes.
Source ... (Hurriyet Daily News)

Juneau Avalanche advisory above Behrends Ave and Thane Rd

Dec 26 - According to the Swiss Avalanche Research institute the Swiss Alps are experiencing an unusually poor snow cover and a generally low risk of avalanches. Experts noted that most alpine regions are only lightly blanketed in snow due to prolonged dry conditions, with fresh powder often hard to find. Although isolated weak layers have formed within the snowpack, these have been largely covered by only a thin overlay of new snow, limiting the potential for widespread avalanche activity.

“There is little snow cover overall, and the quality of the existing snow has been poor,” the report explains, pointing out that surface crusts and faceted snow crystals are now typical across many slopes. However, with the fragile layers capped by only modest snow thickness, major avalanche releases remained unlikely at present.
Source ... (Juneau Independent)

Juneau updates its avalanche messaging

The City and Borough of Juneau is warning residents about urban avalanches a bit differently this year in an effort to help residents in the downtown avalanche zone understand how they should respond to the danger. The biggest change is that the city is no longer expressing avalanche danger on a scale from one — low — to five — extreme. Now, it’s using a “ready, set, go” system instead.

Ryan O’Shaughnessy, emergency programs manager for Juneau, says the five-point scale was geared towards backcountry recreation like skiing and snowmobiling, and didn’t really tell residents living in an avalanche path how they should respond. “There is not a recognized urban avalanche hazard scale that’s widely used and accepted by avalanche forecasters, and that’s largely because there are not many places in the United States that have the urban avalanche hazard that Juneau has,” he said. The five-point scale included both the likelihood and size of an avalanche. Now, O’Shaugnessy says the focus is on the potential downhill impact.
More ... (KTOO)

Avalanches kill two injure several others in Italian Alps

Jan 2 (Reuters) - A series of avalanches in the Italian Alps killed two people and injured several others on Friday, with strong winds hampering the rescue operations, rescuers said.

A first avalanche hit the southwest Alpine Maira Valley, near the French border in the Italian region of Piedmont, killing one person and injuring two others, Alpine Rescue (Soccorso Alpino) said. One of them is in critical condition. Rescue teams set out on foot from lower altitudes after the strong winds prevented helicopter crews from reaching the site, the organisation said in a statement.

A second avalanche occurred near Pragelato, a popular ski destination about 60 km (37 miles) west of Turin. A woman caught in the avalanche managed to free herself but was unable to move because of injuries. Rescue teams were working to evacuate her, with helicopters again limited by adverse weather conditions.

Authorities said they were monitoring reports of a third avalanche in Piedmont, but details were not immediately available.

Separately, in the northeastern Italian region of Veneto, an avalanche on the Vajo Gabene slope in the Small Dolomites killed a 50-year-old ski mountaineer, Italian news agency ANSA said. Rescue teams reached him by helicopter but were unable to save him.
Source ... (Reuters)

Snowcat triggers massive avalanche near JHMR Tram

A snowcat clearing snow from the top of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Aerial Tram dock triggered a large avalanche Thursday morning outside the resort boundary in an area known as the “North Ridge.” The snowcat operator was pushing snow toward the area that slid, said Mike Rheam, a longtime avalanche forecaster and head of the avalanche program for Jackson Hole Ski Patrol. The slope slid at about 8:30 a.m.
Source ... (Jackson Hole News and Guide)