Monday, July 29, 2024

Finding World Record Breaking Snow On Washington's Mount Baker


Saw that which you see here, yesterday, on Facebook. Hard to believe that a couple decades ago I could look out my living room window, and, through the forest of fir trees, see the Mount Baker volcano a few miles to the northeast.

I can look out any of my Texas windows and see nary a single mountain in any direction, let alone a snow-covered volcano.

Reading the text indicating the winter of 1998-1999 Mount Baker's snow accumulation had it being the snowiest mountain on record had me a bit perplexed.

I seem to remember such a claim being made many times prior to that last winter of the previous century. 

I Googled "Mount Baker" and clicked on the Wikipedia article about Mount Baker to see if mention was made regarding record breaking Mount Baker snow, and saw only the following regarding record breaking snow...

"After Mount Rainier, Mount Baker has the heaviest glacier cover of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world; in 1999, Mount Baker Ski Area, located 9 mi to the northeast, set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season—1,140 inches (95 ft)."

Maybe what I was remembering was Mount Baker setting records for snow accumulated, as in piled up deep, and not the amount of snow falling in a single snow falling season.

I do remember that upon reaching the Mount Baker ski area, with the road plowed clear, that it was like driving in a snow canyon, with the snow deep on either side of the road.

Of late I find myself wondering if I am ever going to see Mount Baker, or any of the Washington volcanoes, ever again...


No comments:

Post a Comment