Sunday, September 21, 2014

Glacier breaks on back side of Mt. Shasta and creates mud, water and rockslides and closes roads


UPDATED: Flash-flood warnings as mudslide flows down Mt. Shasta


National Weather Service officials issued a flash-flood warning Saturday night after they said a glacier broke off on Mt. Shasta and sent a mudflow cascading down the mountain.
The warning is in effect until 4:45 a.m. Sunday.
The warning, issued out of the agency's Medford, Oregon, office, says a glacier on Mt. Shasta broke, releasing a high volume of mud, rocks and water. The glacier-induced mudflow already has flooded Mud and Pilgrim creeks to just north of Highway 89 where the water was dammed up Saturday night, the weather service warning says.
Water was accumulating upstream behind the debris flow in the two creeks and could break free at any time, the weather service warned.
National forest rangers are monitoring the mudslide that started about 3 p.m. Saturday on the southeastern side of Mt. Shasta.
Shasta-Trinity National Forest wilderness rangers believe the mudslide may be related to the drought, which has left Mt. Shasta’s glaciers exposed to the sun’s heat. 
Earlier Saturday, a Forest Service hydrologist speculated a glacier may have shifted or melted, Shasta-Trinity National Forest spokeswoman Andrea Capps said.
The flow continued down the mountain from Mud Creek Canyon and crossed Pilgrim Creek Road (Forest Road 13) about 6 p.m., the Forest Service reported.
Officials flew over the mudslide in a helicopter Saturday afternoon to make an assessment.
Pilgrim Creek Road and Winding Way (Forest Road 31) have been closed. Forest Service officials say motorists should not attempt to drive over the slide area because they say even small amounts of mud and debris can overpower a vehicle.
Officials anticipate the debris flow will have an impact on McCloud Lake and the lower McCloud River.
Officials say no injuries have been reported due to the slide and no structures had been damaged.
The public can get more information by contacting the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station at 530-926-4511, which is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
end quote from:
http://www.redding.com/news/local-news/mudslide-reported-on-mt-shasta-two-road-closed
Friends and I are a little worried about a friend of ours that is in his 70s that lives out in that area alone with his dog. But, I think there are alternative ways out besides Pilgrim Creek Road from where he lives.

begin quote:

Glacier Breaks Off Mt. Shasta

MT SHASTAMT. SHASTA, Calif. — The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department is sending deputies to monitor the roads near Mount Shasta after a piece of glacier broke off and started flooding the area.
Reports surfaced today of some bridges being overrun with water near the Pilgrim Creek and Mud Creek area.
The U.S. Forest Service and California Highway Patrol are also working to monitor parts of State Route 89 just in case.
There have been no reports of injuries or property damage.
end quote from:
http://www.kdrv.com/glacier-breaks-off-mt-shasta/

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