Why Mt. Rainier is the Snowiest Place on Earth
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- Mt. Rainier is one, if not, THE snowiest place on Planet Earth. And, as with other National Park superlatives, this is not the result of just a SINGLE factor. There is a unique combination of geology, geography, and meteorology at Mt. Rainier that all combine in a super-charged climatological dance which produces the prodigious snowfall seen at this National Park. But, it might not last long, either. Climate change is wreaking havoc at the park, and not just in terms of snowfall. The park's glaciers, fed by snowfall, are shrinking. The ecosystems which rely on this immense freshwater system are under threat. And, for visitors, this threatens to upend our own experiences in this alpine wonderland. We discuss it all in this video. Enjoy!
Support me on Patreon: / nationalparkdiaries
Follow me on Instagram: / nationalparkdiaries
Sources and Resources:
www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature...
www.e-education.psu.edu/earth....
opensnow.com/news/post/mounta...
www.climate.gov/news-features...
www.climate.gov/news-features...
www.climate.gov/news-features...
www.climate.gov/news-features...
snowbrains.com/pacific-northw...
opensnow.com/news/post/the-je...
snowbrains.com/brain-post-why...
cig.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads...
www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/cl...
irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Downlo...
irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Downlo...
www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature...
www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature...
www.nps.gov/mora/faqs.htm
www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisi....
www.thenewstribune.com/opinio...
www.geekwire.com/2021/snowies... - บันเทิง
Hey folks, slight correction here: I misread my own script and didn't catch it in post-production, but the average annual snowfall here is 640 inches, not 540 inches. The 53 ft annual average snowfall figure is CORRECT, just the inches are wrong. My apologies.
Odd, not many men understate the amount of inches involved...
I'm calling the cops
After living within 50 miles of the park for many years and still a resident of the PNW, I learned more about Mt. Rainier's snow pack in a few minutes than my entire life til now. Great post. Thank you!
Same here, totally mine is over 20yrs
Glad to help! Thanks for watching!
Yeah the same here. I knew it was snowy and we relied on that snow pack, but now I understand why there is more flooding from the Duwamish river as well, more melt from Mt Rannier.
@@davephillips9389 we've had a much cooler climate this year than warmer, resulting in less glacial melt. This year is definitely an exception to the typical warming narrative.
I can see Mt. Rainier from my living room! What a gorgeous mountain. I've been meaning to visit Paradise, I've heard such wonderful things.
I hope you make it! I'll live vicariously through you until I can make it myself
highly rec'd! usually lots of fat marmots chilling in the meadows :)
I need to visit because I am not local and my chances to get. There are a little less frequent!
There are a lot of local things that I haven't done in a long time because of the tourist effect. We don't go and see the things that are closer to us. Because that's just something that visitors do! ha
Mt Baker nearby is pretty similar, also incredibly snowy. I've been up there when there was recently like 10 or so feet of snow, it was crazy. The alpine landscapes covered in unimaginable amounts of snow are quite the thing to experience! There are some images of multistory mountain cabins on Mt Baker covered all the way up to the roof during record snowfall events.
I read about Mt. Baker during research! It's right up there with Rainier for sure - even took the single-season snowfall record!
baker is the snowiest mountain on earth
Mt Baker is actually snowier than Rainier, Prism computer models show it gets 15% more precipitation and its alittle colder. If you don't belive me drive to Paradise and then Artist Point in early July both are at similar altitudes and you will see that Artist Point on Mt Baker has alittle bit more snow than Paradise.
Before 1971, Mount Baker had the all-time record for snowfall.
@@Weathernerd27By area, Mt. Rainier would win that stat, so definitely not.
Its worth noting that El Niño has a very significant impact on winter precipitation in the PNW, its actually one of the more stark impacts of the ENSO. Snow levels climb waaay up during El Niño years, and there is much less precipitation too.
Yep! Wanted to cover this story from the perspective of average conditions, but yeah, it's highly variable from year to year
I live near and snowshoed up on Mount Baker with my wife and son in the 1998 and 1999 season when we had the world record snowfall. It was an exciting winter season to be outside.
I'm sure! Very cool!
We live on the eastern side of the state now and sure missed seeing that Mountain Rainier gracing the horizon with it's majestic presence.
Oh man, quite the difference in scenery for you!
Mt. Rainier is known for having a high diversity of different climate zones all in just one small area. If you look at a Koppen climate map of Washington State, you can count 9 different zones around the volcano. Two oceanic, two mediterranean, two continental, Ice cap, tundra, and subarctic. Not many other places on Earth are like this.
It's a special place, for sure!
honestly that description pretty much fits turkey (the country) as well
At the other end of the spectrum in the Pacific Northwest Wonderland, since you mentioned rain shadows in this video, it'd be interesting if you'd cover the Alvord Desert! It's not a National Park, but it is designated a National Conservation Land and BLM Wilderness Study Area, if you were willing to stretch things a bit. It's got a double-rain shadow thing going on, from the Cascades and Steens Mountain. And Steens Mountain fascinates me because it's not a range, but just one Really Long Boi, a single faultblock mountain standing all alone down there in SE Oregon. And Alvord Desert has some utterly fascinating ecology, unique creatures, and more.
I'm willing to cover any protected places/public lands in the US, so thanks for the suggestion!
@@NationalParkDiaries I'm seconding this suggestion. I got to visit the Alvord Desert back in 2020 (pandemic road trip to the most remote place I could think of) and it's utterly fascinating. The only town of any significance is Burns, about 1.5 hours away and it's just a few gas stations and some fast food joints. In dry weather, it's fun to drive on the playa and just enjoy the unique setting. Photographers hold workshops there with models from time to time as well.
The Alford desert is interesting. We bush pilots have fly-in gatherings out here for camping exploring and even airplane drag races 😊
Love Mt Rainier NP! I’ve been there twice and it still remains one of my favorite places in all of our travels🏔️🏔️🏔️
Have yet to visit, but saw it out of the window of a plane one time and was awestruck! Can't wait to get my feet on the ground there one day!
@@NationalParkDiaries thanks so much for sharing such amazing info! You’ll love it there🤗
Interestingly enough, the cottonwood canyons in Utah are fairly close in terms of snowfall for many of the same reasons as Rainer. Instead of the Pacific Ocean, however, the large collections of moisture comes from the neighboring Great Salt Lake.
Wish we had a repeat of last year’s snowfall this year
Great perspective, thanks for sharing!
That title belongs to Mt Baker.
@@jaymontgomery3330 what title?
Mt Baker dethroned Mt Rainer as the record for the most snowfall in one year. It is also in the Cascades but right against the Canadian border.
I live on a farm near the mouth of the Nisqually River. I see the mountain anytime I leave my very forested farm. It’s a beautiful site. My sister lives near the Cowlitz River and can see Mount Saint Helens from her front porch. We often text each other to give mountain weather updates.
I backpacked the Wonderland Trail in September of 2001. The day my buddy and I arrived, numerous people coming off the trail warned us about the whiteouts they had just endured. Well, turns out, by random chance, that we ended up with the nicest, clearest two weeks up there ever. Snow? We didn't even get one day of rain!
Very nice! What a good stroke of luck!
Mt rainier is warm and dry during the summer you can get a summer snowstorm but its unusual. The climate is changing it used to be that while the summer was mostly dry you could still count on alittle bit of rain and snow but the last few summers have been completly dry with much worse heat waves.
Sukayu Onsen is a hotspring town in northern Japan that gets 670 inches of snow in an average year, even more than Mount Rainier (including your corrected higher figure) and it even has people and development!
Very insightful video! Thanks for sharing this information. It's particularly amazing to hear about the snowfall of 1972/1973....93 feet of snow is quite a lot to imagine!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for all the amazing content and the awesome videos!
Thanks so much for watching!
Awesome video. Thank you for putting this together.
Thanks for watching!
I love Mt. Rainier. One of my proudest moments was completing the Wonderland Trail.
Very impressive!
Loved the video. Great job! Very informational and well produced!
Thanks so much!
Seeing Mount Rainier with those trees & water in front of it brings to mind the Alaskan landscapes that Bob Ross would paint for us. Similar majestic vibe, which makes it even more tragic that it's now all slowly vanishing.
Indeed. The majesty is tinged with sadness a bit. I think about this often when visiting threatened parks/landscapes.
Great program tank you
Thanks for watching!
There are mountains in Japan that have received over 1,500 inches of snow in a year…
There are parts of the Cascades just north of Mount Rainier that have received 1500+ inches of snow in a season. But there is no official measurement.
Subscribed.
I can see there is a lot of content I will be catching up.
Welcome, happy to have you!
I see the Mountain every day and it still is breathtaking on clear day. Awesome video!
So jealous! Thanks for watching!
Rainier is the most iconic 'natural' symbol of the entire pacific northwest region, hands down.
Saw it out of a plane once and was in awe even from there. Can't wait to go and see it on foot one of these days!
@@NationalParkDiaries
Me too. I saw it out of an airplane window during a bright, clear sunny day. A great sight.
And that's just Paradise, 9000 feet below the summit.
The top of the mountain likely averages 100-200 feet at its summit annually.
The Alaskan range, such as Mt. St. Elias or Mt. Fairweather may be much snowier.
Really good video.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for the explanation! I’m a recent transplant from California. Beautiful Yosemite NP had been in my back yard for decades. Living in the Central Valley ‘though we rarely saw the mountains. We pretty much had to drive for 90 minutes to actually see the mountains and snow.
What I like about living North of Seattle is the fact that many days we can see Mt Rainier (when driving South) as it really sticks out. (California Sierra Nevada Mountains tend to be “clumped” together, and sometimes you need to guess.. oh, is that Mt Whitney, or is it the one to the right?) Snow on Mt Rainier lasts all year. I live closer to Mt Baker. We went hiking in the Mt Baker area last summer. It was a rare 90 degrees that day, and there were still patches of snow near Artist‘s Point.
I’ve been an avid National Park supporter for decades. Thanks for the work you do, will definitely check out your other videos!
Thanks so much for watching! 2 great places to call home - you're not spoiled for scenery in either! Glad you're enjoying everything with the new move!
Really interesting video, thank you.
Thanks for watching!
On a sunny day you can stand on the beach in Ocean Shores Washington and get a picture perfect view of Mount Rainier. By prominence alone Rainier is an absolute giant
Well done Cameron. Excellent video and information. As you described your passion for natural places across the world, I think we’d love to hear about Canada’s National Parks (many of them rival the beauty and majesty of their American counterparts.)
I will admit to Canadian National Parks being criminally undercovered on this channel. I've been to Banff, but am not widely traveled in Canada otherwise. I need to change that and cover them more here. Thanks for watching!
I didn't know the Mountain got that much. 35 years of living with a volcano in the lawn, tubing at Paradise, cross country skiing by Longmire...
There are some areas in northern Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan that receive more snow.
My first attempt to climb to Camp Muir at age 10 ended in a whiteout. Despite this I never could have guessed this!
Great vid. I’ve always been very interested in how and why higher elevations get more precipitation so this was very helpful.
Glad I could help, thanks for watching!
Interesting video!
Thanks for watching!
Just wanted to add one more comment on this video. We are talking about official measurements here. Mount Rainier and Mount Baker are definitely one of the snowiest places in the world. With that being said there are other locations nearby in both the Washington Cascades and Olympics and British Columbia stretching into SE Alaska where it is believed that 1500 + inch snowfalls in season have occurred. It’s just we don’t have any official measurements. Also keep in mind that the heaviest snowfall normally occurs right along the arctic boundary. The Pacific Northwest is extremely wet in the winter time which translates to snow at high elevations. I keep seeing comments about cities in Northern Japan such as Aomori. These are snowiest large “inhabited” cities that are snowy. They are not the snowiest places on Earth and definitely anot as snowy as the mountains of the PNW which can see snowfall every month of the year.
Great video! You should do Voyageurs National Park and its history and what makes it so special. That place is spectacular but doesn't get enough love.
Voyageurs is fascinating to me. Will definitely be covering it some day. Thanks for watching!
Not far to the northwest is the Olympic National Park where there is a temperate rainforest. Steep hills up against the Pacific gives them lots of rain.
The Quinault Ranger Station gets an average of over 137 inches of rain a year, the equivalent of about 1,370 inches (114 feet) of snow!
The record annual rainfall at nearby Wynoochee in 1931 was over 184 inches, the equivalent of about 1,850 inches (153 feet) of snow!
Places in AK and Japan snow more. Mt baker glacier also may get more annual snow.
every youtube title ever: "THE"
every youtube intro ever: "ONE OF THE"
Thanks!🏔
Thanks for watching!
#4. When the jet stream blows out of the gulf of Alaska, a convergence zone can form in the vicinity of Rainier where moisture that moved around the Olympic mountains merges back together. This can amplify snowfall totals from that particular storm.
There’s also a gap in the coastal ranges south of the Olympic Mountains. Similarly, Mount Baker has the Strait of Juan de Fuca to its west. Onshore winds get funneled straight into these volcanoes.
I know Mt. Baker isn't a NatIonal ParK BUT IT'S SNOWFALL IS AMAZING!
Researching PNW snowfall in general was a wide awakening for this Southerner 😂
Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Very nice thumbnail, i predict this video will do well! ^^
I sure hope so 🙏
Awesome video. Btw, you have a similar voice to 'The Money GPS' channel.
Thank you!
540in is 45ft, not over 53ft...
Yep, you're totally right on that. I misread my own script and didn't catch it in post. It should say 640 inches, not 540. Will pin a comment as a correction. Thanks for pointing it out!
Great video and new friend here. 👍👍
Thank you and welcome to the community!
Westside road is actually still closed. The other access road to that section of the forest has also recently been closed due to multiple road washouts.
First time watching one of your videos and I liked it a lot, your accent sounds very central Pennsylvanian
Haha, thanks! I'm actually from SC, but many people have told me I don't sound like it lol
Hey man thank you and also do el yunque national forest the only tropical rainforest in the united state.and do it's history and geography and how it can to be. And also how the great smokey mountains and blue ridge mountains are so rainy in summer it's probably a similar reason to mt rainier but anyway. (And also i live there) and also do one were you explain why peter sinks in utah is so cold despite being so far south and maybe a similar thing happens in Yellowstone since it kinda low but is colder then grand Teton despite being 4 000ft lower. And do one why new mexico white sand dunes are white. (Ps sorry about this being so long).
Thanks for your suggestions, Parker (including the one that inspired this video)! All great subjects and I'll keep them in mind - especially El Yunque and the Smokies, both of which are already on my list
@@NationalParkDiaries oh ya do one on why gates of the Arctic national park (northernmost national park) exist. Hey do the history of the Hudson river valley art school and how it's paintings inspired manifest destiny and interest in western natural history. and it's in New York you should do a video about it.
My favorite part of living by Mt Rainier is when people come up in the winter and ask if it is a good time to go to the mountain.
as a skier I say yes
Mt Baker has similar big dumps but ussualy followed by rain at altitude keeping its snow pack down somewhat
Finally, a video on youtube about something in Washington!!!!!
🙌🙌🙌
Mt rainier doesn’t even contain the snow station with highest total in WA…
This video made me go outside and look at Rainier from my balcony
I will live vicariously through you 😂
Try Mt. Shasta and Mt. Baker - they hold most of the records.
My wife and I (planning a road trip to British Columbia this summer) were talking about snow on Mt Rainier. I got the first and third factors, but didn't know about the jet stream factor.
I love learning about these natural phenomena that are the result of several combinations of things. It's only fitting that places like Mt. Rainier are the way they are because of this crazy cosmic alignment of natural forces. Just really puts it into perspective for me.
Huh, I would have expected it to be more Rainy than snowy. But I guess it's still Rainier than a lot of places.
This is also why it's such a dangerous volcano.. did you know Rainier has more glaciers on it, than all the other Cascade mountains, combined...
It doesn't even need to erupt like St. Helens to create terrible lahars
Most naturally snowy place on Earth anyways. There's quite a few spots on top of the mountain I work at where we put down more than 50' of snow in one area every winter. I work as a Snowmaker for a big ski resort in Maine.
Mt Baker is up there as well.
you should do one on pinnacles its very underrated
I lived at Misawa Airbase in the 70s. It's the snowiest base in the US inventory.... and it's not even the snowiest spot in the Aomori prefecture. Aomori prefecture is the official snowiest place on earth from what I last heard. Although, I swear Hokkaido seems snowier yet.
From what I researched, I think Aomori is considered the snowiest "city" (or at least urban area) on Earth, but Mt. Rainier is almost double it's total seasonal snowfall still. Either way, both very snowy places!
@JamesSymmonds Aomori is the snowiest inhabited city. The coastal ranges of BC, WA and Alaska receive more snow.
The most annual snowfall is in Aomori, Japan.
Yes, Washington State is still coming out of an Ice-Age. Nearby Seattle used to be covered in 3000 feet of ice.
All of earth is less than halfway through the current interglacial, indicated by global ~warming~
Ayeska Resort here in Girdwood Alaska gets 669 inches annually and is at about 3500’ above sea level, this year we have over 111” already at sea level here in Anchorage and many times that in the mountains
Ayeska is rainshadowed some of the mountains closer to the ocean get more than double the precipitation of Ayeska and I suspect if you measured the snowfall in these mountains it would far exceed Mt Rainier's snowfall.
I got married at the foot of the mountain in the park. It's a magical place. Too bad it's become so overrun in the last 5-10 years. It's difficult to get in on a weekend.
Appreciate that you didn't stop at the "tidy bow". I know we can often feel like we're hit on the head over and over with the climate change hammer. But it's a reality, folks. Enjoy what we have while we have it and do what you can--however small and insignificant you think it is--to help our only planet home. It is an amazing place. Let's respect and appreciate it. Thank you for this.
Right. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a way to talk about this subject without also talking about the threats Mt. Rainier's snowfalls are facing. I think we can still enjoy this incredible place, while recognizing that there is work still to be done to keep it that way. Thanks for watching!
I think I read once that Mount Baker got the most, but it may have been specific to ski areas. Edit: still watching and caught your comment about Baker.
Actually, Baker and Rainier receive the same average snowfall---645 inches.
I occasionally look at predicted snowfall for Rainier when there's a lot of moisture and you'll see numbers like 48"-54" overnight
Absolutely insane 👀
You had me at sweet, sweet powder.
❄🏂❄
Lest you forget, Rainier is still an active volcano.
It snows more in southern Alaska and Japan.
The summary of climate change is easy.
It is the change of humidity in atmosphere, which produce between the (land)and the(seas & oceans) on the other hand...
Occurring of rains, snow, storms, and floods at time and in unexpected places, confirm my theory(the change in the directions of winds)which must be balanced...
How to reduce the heat of the earth and atmosphere?
We must supply the earth with a natural cooling places...
Results:
----------
1- To balance the water vapor which produces between the( ground)and the(seas and oceans )...
2- To balance the pressures of the air in the atmosphere...
3- To balance the directions of winds which caused the climate change...
4- To control upon the storms and harricans...
5- To revive the the first theory of climate change (dynamic horizontal movement).
6- To balance the percentage of gases forming the atmosphere.
NOTE :The lack of water vapor is of land not of seas and oceans...
These studies had completed and sent on July 26th 2000...
Yousif A Tobiya
One of the snowiest! Then again the Meteorologists School in the White Mountains claims to have the most and the reasons why they have the School there! Truthfully I don't really care, I just like ❄️🌨️❄️
What about Lake Helen in California? It has an average snowfall of 700 inches a year
Seeing as how wooly mammoths and sabertooth tigers went extinct after the last ice age started coming to an end some 15-20k years ago, wouldnt that explain why we are still on a warming cycle to this day? I don't recall anyone making a big fuss about gasoline engines being the mammoths demise🤔.
i like your shirt bro
Haha, thanks!
Baker is also much closer to the ocean maybe 30 miles from bellingham bay tide waters
You must not of done your research about Japan. Hokkaido the north island has received over 1100 inches in one record season. They average 650-900 in a year depending on location.
Sounds like a great spot for a wallmart
Doesn’t Hokkaido/Sapporo/Rusutsu Japan average 65 feet per year?
Why does the PNW lowland not get much snow?
Less orographic lift and higher temps at lower altitude
The occurrence of stoms,rains,ice, and floods at times and in unexpected places,confirms my theory the end of the (dynamic horizontal movement )which needs to balance and it sill under control to balance...
But about earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sinkholes, tsunami, dry lakes and rivers, flow of water from the mountains and hills,explodeand of eyes water from the ground, formation of new mountains or islands, collaps of mountains ,and cracks on ground,& ,& ,&,they are out of control or balance...
Note :The earth will become like Venus...
Yousif A Tobiya
Mt Baker would like a word with you.
It's very impressive as well! It's snowfalls are actually right up there with Rainier (although, on average, still lower), but I liked the National Park angle of talking about Rainier 😊
They should call it Mount Snowier, amirite? :p
😂😂😂
how has snow and total moisture changed over the last 20/40/80 years? Less snow and more rain? Less moisture over all?
Yes, all indications are that snowfall is decreasing and rainfall in increasing at higher elevations in the park. Here's a link to some further reading if you'd like to learn more: www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/climatechange.htm
A video about the snowiest place on earth with about 17 seconds of snow shots :(
Although very snowy I'm not sure it holds the title of snowiest place on earth. I believe Mt Tateyama in Japan averages more than 120 feet per year.
We are talking official records though. Both Mount Baker and Mount Rainier have officially recorded the highest snowfall in a season.
We have passed the timeline when Al Gore promised us our children would not know what snow is. Anything? Anybody?
Fair weather range alaska
I am so depressed I can’t even explain.
Its not the snowiest place on earth some of the Alaska mountains at 6,000 elevation get 1.5 to 2 times as much snow its just that there is no snow measuring station in these remote areas. You might wonder how I can know the Alaska mountains are snowier than Rainier when there are no measuring stations but one can calculate the total amount of precip using computer models, what percentage of the precip falls as snow based on temperature and how much snow must fall on the upper part of a glacier to balance out melt and maintain the glacier at its current size. Mt rainier may be one of the snowiest place in the world during the winter but temperatures are too warm for really big snow accumulations during the fall/spring and the summer is much too dry for big snowfalls. The Alaska mountains are wet enough for big snow acumulations year round and cold enough 2/3 of the year so its no suprise they get alot more snow. Snowfall maxes out at about 8,000 feet on Mt Rainier if you climb above 8,000 ft the snowfall decreases because you are above the thickest storm clouds and the air grows too cold to hold alot of moisture. Even though the summit of Mt Rainier gets significantly less snowfall temperatures only get above freezing on the hottest summer days and there isn't very much melt so the snow gets deeper and deeper and big glaciers form. In the old days winter precip was all snow at Paradise 5,500 ft. This winter Paradise got almost as much rain as snow and at times the snow level was as high as 8,000 to 9,000 feet. I don't think there will be too many more winters where there are huge snowbanks next to the road. Also the temperature gets above freezing between snowstorms and the snow compacts alot so while 53 feet of snow may fall in the a year the typical snow depth is only about 15-20 feet. The Alaskan mountains do not get winter thaws so the snow is alot deeper.
540 inches is 45 feet.
Must have learned Common Core math.
Compare with central Japan and upstate New York?
Cascades of Washington state get quite a bit more snow than upstate New York. There is still snow on the ground in summer in the Caacades.
And with all this snow how the glacier r not growing
can we rename it Mt. Snownier?
All in favor?
How about Japan, I thought it was the record holder for most snow?👍
Aomori is regularly quoted as the snowiest, but perhaps that is for snowiest cities vs wilderness. Quick google shows Aomori at about half that of Rainier.
that was a popular fact spread around, but it is only the snowiest large city
I did research this a bit, and I agree with the commenters below. I think that claim is referring to cities/generally inhabited places, rather than wilderness areas or National Parks. Still a lot though!