Description
This is the Annual Report of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) for the winter of 1999-2000. It describes the operations of the CAIC and the important events of the winter season. This annual report contains the executive summary; funding and budget; operations; weather and avalanche synopsis; detailed winter summary; information acquisition; dissemination of hazard forecasts; public education; forecasting for Colorado’s highways; severance tax projects. 42 pages. Digital PDF download. IS-56D
From the report:
The CAIC completed its 17th year as a program of the State of Colorado. Also published this year by the CAIC was SP-48 Avalanche Wise: Your Guide to Avalanche Safety in Colorado.
Avalanche events of 1999–2000: Winter had a hard time getting started and brought minimal snowfall until mid-December. Snow in January, February, and March was above normal for almost all mountain areas, and avalanche activity was near-normal during these months. The mountain snowpack was shallower than normal almost all winter in the southern and central mountains. A total of 1,666 avalanches was reported to the Center (23 percent below the average of 2,160). There were few large storms, few extensive avalanche cycles, and no large destructive avalanches. Avalanche Warnings were posted on 22 days (10 below normal). There were eight avalanche deaths (two above normal), because with a shallow snow cover, it was easy for backcountry recreation to trigger avalanches much of the winter. Property damage was nil.
