HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Source: Gilbert 1972.
On August 1, Summit Lake started draining after it reached a maximum level of 821.7 m above sea level,
only 4.3 m below the level when full. The maximum observed discharge determined from the rate of volume change
in the lake occurred on August 8 at 4 p.m. Sometime between 6-8 a.m. on August 9, a maximum discharge of
approximately 2,600 m 3 /s may have occurred (Gilbert 1972).
January 6-7, 1971
Event type: Debris slides and snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Falls River (55.1 mm/1 day), January 6, 1971; Prince Rupert M. Circ (54.6 mm/1 day), January 6, 1971;
Prince Rupert (80.8 mm/2 days), January 6-7, 1971.
Source: The Daily News, January 7, 1971; Terrace Omineca Herald, January 11, 1971; J. Mekechuck, pers. comm.
1989. CN Railway, Edmonton, Alta.
Terrace recorded 2.05 in. (52.1 mm) of rain in three days. A mild spell with heavy rain occurred in the
Skeena Valley.
Highway 16 between Prince Rupert-Terrace was closed for 21 hours. Seven or eight large snow and debris
slides and more than a dozen smaller ones came down between 20-45 mi. (32-72 km) west of Terrace.
CNR reported a series of snowslides in the Skeena Subdivision between Terrace-Prince Rupert. Freight
trains were interrupted but passenger service was not affected.
January 10, 1971
Event type: Fatal snow avalanche.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: Williams 1975.
On January 10, an avalanche near Juneau, Alaska killed a climber. The slide, which was witnessed by
several people, was released near the 2,700-ft. (810 m) elevation. A search proved to be futile as the debris was 40-50
ft. (12-15 m) deep. The victim’s body was not found until the following summer when it was uncovered by a bear near
the 400-ft. (120 m) elevation. The fatal avalanche was the fourth to run down the Behrends Avenue path on Mt.
Juneau that day. All four were large avalanches, which threw up billowing dust clouds. The cause of this remarkable
avalanche activity was a local wind phenomenon known as the Taku wind. *1) At the time of the accident, snow
depths on the mountain ranged from 2-12 ft. (0.6-3.6 m) (Williams 1975).
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*1) The Taku wind is a cold northeast katabatic wind, which blows off the inland glaciers and is accelerated to
incredible speeds. Wind speeds over the ridge tops above Juneau are estimated at more than 200 mph (320 km/h)
(Williams 1975).
January 17-18, 1971
Event type: Flooding and snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Bella Coola (86.4 mm/1 day), January 15, 1971; Kitimat Townsite (211.6 mm/4 days), January 15-18,
1971; Prince Rupert M. Circ (46.5 mm/1 day), January 17, 1971; Kildala (42.4 mm/1 day), January 17, 1971; Tasu
Sound (98.3 mm/1 day), January 17, 1971; Falls River (84.4 mm/2 days), January 17-18, 1971; Sandspit A (43.4 mm/2
days), January 17-18, 1971; Terrace (101.1 mm incl. 70.4 cm snow/2 days), January 17-18, 1971
Source: The Terrace Omineca Herald, January 18, 1971; The Daily News, January 17, 18, 19 and 21, 1971; The
Northern Sentinel, January 20, 1971; J. Mekechuck, pers. comm. 1989. CN Railway, Edmonton, Alta.
On January 17, Terrace recorded 35 in. (88.9 cm) of snow followed by 1.5 in. (38.1 mm) of rain. The
temperatures dropped 43 o F (26 degrees C) from 43 o F (6 o C) to -4 o F (-20 o C) within 18 hours. The Terrace airport
closed due to icy landing conditions, stranding 60 passengers in Prince Rupert. Schools in Terrace and Kitimat closed
for two days.
Highway 16 between Prince Rupert-Terrace was closed for 15 hours. Two small snowslides came down and
the highway on the Prince Rupert side was described as “pure ice.” The Greyhound bus got stuck at the bottom of the
Rainbow Summit, 15 mi. (24 km) east of Prince Rupert. It was delayed for 15 hours. Highway 16 was scheduled to
reopen to all traffic on January 18 at 10 a.m.
Between January 14-19, Kitimat recorded 31.7 in. (80.5 cm) of snow, bringing the winter’s total to 137.5 in.
(349.3 cm). Eighteen hours of heavy rain caused flooding at the corner of Columbus at the junction to the trailer courts
and some flooded basements. The rain falling on packed snow also caused hazardous driving conditions. Power
outages occurred in the City centre and Nechako areas.
On January 18, CNR reported heavy rains between Prince Rupert-Smithers. On the Prince Rupert-Terrace
section, water was reported on the tracks in seven places between Mile 39.9-51.7. The main track was impassable for
about five hours.
January 20-23, 1971
Event type: Snow avalanches.
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