Avalanche warning for North Oregon Cascades until Thursday evening

At 6:51 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued an avalanche warning that was in effect for the North Oregon Cascades until 7 p.m. Thursday.

The weather service says: “A high avalanche danger is forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday.”

“Heavy snow, strong winds and a transition from snow to rain at low altitudes will result in very dangerous avalanche conditions through Thursday. High avalanche danger poses risks at all altitudes,” explains the weather service.

Here’s how to stay safe, according to the weather service

Know the three factors required for an avalanche to occur:

• Slope: Avalanches generally occur on slopes steeper than 30 degrees
• Snowpack: Recent avalanches, cracks and “wumpfing” are signs of unstable snow
• Trigger: Sometimes it doesn’t take much to tip the scales; People, fresh snow and wind are common triggers

Determine whether you are on or below avalanche-prone slopes:

• Find out if the snow is stable
• Get the Note: Check with your local avalanche center for current snowpack conditions
• Get the equipment and learn how to use it

Keep these three avalanche safety essentials in your backpack:

• Transceiver: So you can be found even when the snow is covered
• Shovel: So you can dig up your partner
• Probe: To help you locate someone covered in snow

For avalanche victims who do not die from trauma, the survival rate drops after about 15 minutes. It’s up to you to save your partner! Practicing realistic scenarios in advance is essential.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service from United Robots that uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.