n c h e s

Avala

By Ste
fan Vizit
iu
Content 1.
2.
General Information
Winter of Terror
3. Primary & secondary effects
4. Risk Factors
5. Prevention possibilities
6. Quiz
7. Sources
 1. Mass of ice, snow, rock, soil and other
General materials slide downwards
2. Avalanches rocks - Landslides
Information 3. Avalanches snow- Snowslides
a. Faster than the fastest skier (255 kmh)
b. Most common one
4. Avalanches occur when a layer in the
snowpack slide off
5. Picks up speed as it moves downhill
6. Making a river of snow
7. Picks up even more snow along the way
8. An Avalanche can weigh around 1 million tons
9. Can travel faster than 320 kilometers an hour
Winter of Terror 1. The Winter of Terror not only 1
avalanche but a three month period of
constant avalanches
a. 649 avalanches
b. 265 people were killed
2. Most took place in Switzerland
a. 92 deaths in Valais Canton
b. 135 deaths in Austria
3. It happened in the winter from
1950-1951
4. Avalanches can take place at any time
of the year because of the height of the
mountains
 1. More than 900 buildings were destroyed
Primary & Secondary 2. Over 40.000 humans were buried in snow
3. Thousands of acres were demolished and
Effects buried under 10-15 feet of snow in just
three days
4. Survivors of the Avalanches were most
likely hurt
5. People were suffering from hypothermia
and frostbite
6. Cold temperatures led to frozen water
pipes and disrupted transportation
systems
7. Many businesses and industries were
forced to shut down
8. Long-lasting psychological impact,
leading to increased anxiety and stress
Risk Factors
1. High precipitation due to the meeting of a
Atlantic warm front and a Polar cold front
2. Resulted in 3-5 meters of snow being
deposited in 2-3 days
3. Low temperatures, heavy snowfall and
strong winds, caused by “Blocking high”
which caused a high pressure system
4. Many Buildings and homes were poorly
insulated
5. Transportation systems were not designed
to operate in such extreme conditions
6. Elderly or children were at risk due to their
susceptibility to hypothermia or frost bites
7. Those in rural areas were even more
vulnerable because of their lack of food,
shelter and medical care
Prevention 1. Improving infrastructure
2. Emergency preparedness
Possibilities 3. Investment in transportation systems
4. International cooperation
Quiz
1. How much can an Avalanche weigh and how fast can
it get?
2. Why was the Winter of Terror such a huge event?
3. What were some of the effects, the Winter of Terror
had?
4. What of the prevention possibilities do you think
would have been the best for the Winter of Terror?
Sources
1. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resourc
e/avalanche/
2. https://prezi.com/b1udvfga-0dn/winter-of-terror/
3. https://snowbrains.com/winter-terror-1950-51-25
9-avalanche-deaths-alps/
4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/0
2/weatherwatch-the-winter-of-terror-and-alpine-av
alanches
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_Terror