Known Geologic Events at Mount Rainier
The purpose of this page is to list all known, dated gelogic events at Mount Rainier, including lahars, debris flows, large rockfalls, large avalanches, rockfalls, and other events. This list is currently being compiled, so if you find errors or a missing event, please
let Scott know.
Database ID#: 157
Date: Monday, June 28, 2021
Location: Mount Rainier National Park
Glacier Name: None
Drainage Basin:
Event Type: Other Event
Weather:
EXTREMELY hot and dry. This event smashed record high temps for the entire region. Low RH's as well.
HIGH TEMPS (6/26, 6/27, 6/28 and 6/29)
(6/28 was the max temp day for many areas and 6/29 had an onshore flow... but it didn't reach the entire park - only lower elevations, so I am including 6/29 since the park was relatively hot during that time too, with some weather stations seeing their hottest temp on 6/29).
Ashford RAWS: 99.0, 107.0, 108.0, 88.0
Ashford Fire Stn: 103.0, 106.1, 109.1, 91.5
Ohanapecosh RAWS: 100.0, 105.0, 107.0, 105.0
Tahoma SG: 98.8, 101.7, 105.8, 86.7
Kautz HB: 98.1, 100.8, 103.8, 84.6
Longmire: 97.8, 100.6, 103.5, 99.9
Nisqually SG: 94.6, 98.6, 100.8, 97.7
White River SG: 90.9, 92.3, 95.1, 100.6
Paradise: 84.2, 84.6, 88.2, 91.0
Camp Schurman: 56.4, 59.0, 63.8, 64.0
Camp Muir: 58.4, 59.1, 61.8, 66.5
More Official High Temps: https://nwschat.weather.gov/p.php?pid=202106291530-KSEW-NOUS46-PNSSEW
SNOW PACK, inches (avg) AT PARADISE:
6/25: 57
6/26: 51
6/27: 45
6/28: 37
6/29: 30
Season: Dry
Notes:
Aware of the following things that happened:
- Small rock fall (3x2 ft) at Christine falls
- Carter Falls foot bridge washed out due to high flow:
https://twitter.com/MountRainierNPS/status/1409645690645405708
- Carbon River lower crossing - water flowing over it and people not able to get to it. Unsure if it actually washed out or not. THIS MIGHT actually be the Chenuis Bridge?
https://twitter.com/MountRainierNPS/status/1411037787638304768
- Road Damage on SR410 - heat heaving
https://twitter.com/MountRainierNPS/status/1410984594044723208
Surprisingly, no outburst floods or debris flows.
Max discharge on Nisqually River at National was 2230 cfs (6/28)
Estimated Velocity:
Estimated Peak Flow:
Estimated Volume:
References:
Data references:
Beason, S.R., 2012, Small glacial outburst flood occurs on Mount Rainier - October 27, 2012: Unpublished National Park Service Science Brief, 3 p.
Beason, S.R., et al., in prep, Glacial outburst floods and debris flows from the South Tahoma Glacier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington: August and September, 2015: National Park Service Natural Resource Report NPS/MORA/NRR-2015/XXX.
Copeland, E.A., 2010, Recent periglacial debris flows from Mount Rainier, Washington: M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, 125 p.
Copeland, E.A., P.M. Kennard, A.W. Nolin, S.T. Lanscaster and G.E. Grant, 2008, Initiation of recent debris flows on Mount Rainier, Washington: A climate warming signal? American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Crandell, D.R., 1971, Postglacial lahars from Mt. Rainier volcano, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 677, 75 p.
Donovan, K.H.M, 2005, An investigation into the 2003 Van Trump Creek debris flow, Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States of America: BSc Geological Hazards Thesis, University of Portsmouth (UK), 58 p.
Driedger, C.L. and A.G. Fountain, 1989, Glacier outburst floods at Mout Rainier, Washington State, USA: Anals of Glaciology, Vol. 13, 5 p.
Hodge, S., 1972, The movement and basal conditions of the Nisqually Glacier, Mount Rainier: Ph.D Thesis, Univeristy of Washington, xxx p.
Legg, N.T., 2013, Debris flows in glaciated catchments: A case study on Mount Rainier, Washington: M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, 162 p.
Legg, N.T., A.J. Meigs, G.E. Grant and P.M. Kennard, 2014, Debris flow initiation in proglacial gullies on Mount Rainier, Washington: Geomorphology, Vol. 226, p. 249-260.
Richardson D., 1968, Glacier outburst floods in the Pacific Northwest: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 600-D, D79-D86.
Samora, B., 1991, Chronology of flood events as noted in the superintendent's annual reports 1940-1991, Unpublished Internal Document, Mount Rainier National Park, WA, 13 p.
Scott, K.M., J.W. Vallance, and P.T. Pringle, 1995, Sedimentology, behavior, and hazards of debris flows at Mount Rainier, Washington: United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1547, 56 p.
Vallance, J.W., C.L. Driedger and W.E. Scott, 2002, Diversion of meltwater from Kautz Glacier initiates small debris flows near Van Trump Park, Mount Rainier, Washington: Washington Geology, Vol. 30, No. 1/2, p. 17-19.
Vallance, J.W., M.L. Cunico and S.P. Schilling, 2003, Debris-flow hazards caused by hydrologic events at Mount Rainier, Washington: United States Geological Survey Open-File Report 2003-368, 4 p.
Walder, J.S. and C.L. Driedger, 1994, Geomorphic changed caused by outburst floods and debris flows at Mount Rainier, Washington, with emphasis on Tahoma Creek valley: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4093, 100 p.
Walder, J.S. and C.L. Driedger, 1994, Rapid geomorphic change caused by glacial outburst floods and debris flows along Tahoma Creek, Mount Rainier, Washington, USA: Arctic and Alpine Research, Vol. 26, No. 4, p. 319-327.
Walder, J.S. and C.L. Driedger, 1995, Frequent outburst floods from South Tahoma Glacier, Mount Rainier, USA: relation to debris flows, meterological origin and implications for subglacial hydrology: Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 41, No. 137, 11 p.