Avalanches Are the Most Frequent Cause of Weather Fatalities in Almost All Mountainous States

An interesting map regarding weather-related deaths was tweeted last week by Washington Submit meteorologist and USTornadoes.com co-founder Ian Livingston. Livginston’s map reveals that the “most frequent cause of weather fatalities by NWS County Warning Area” is avalanches for the majority of mountain states.

• Related: Colorado Avalanche Danger is Highest Since Records Began | 3,000 Slides this Year Already

Along the coastlines, the most common cause of weather deaths is riptides, in the south and in California it’s heat, and in the north, it’s cold that results in the most weather-related deaths.

Most frequent cause of weather fatalities by NWS County Warning Area.

(Lots of work to do on the project but I found this early look informative and worth sharing as is. Larger version here: https://t.co/MN5Od9NfUd) pic.twitter.com/Id3mXTmUbs

— Ian Livingston (@islivingston) September 17, 2019

But overall, it’s typically avalanches that create probably the most weather-related heartbreak annually. In the last 20-years, 119 avalanche fatalities have been recorded in Colorado alone, about six every year, the most avalanche-related deaths of any state in that 2-decade period. Alaska is next, with 88 avalanche-related deaths since 1999.