View from Heather Meadows to Table Mt on May 2, 2026 (Jill Pelto photo) Since 1984 we have measured glacier mass balance on North Cascade glaciers every year. Mass balance is the difference between accumulation (income) and melt (expenses). The accumulation season typicallys ends around May 1. In 2026 it ended on April 19. In early December snowpack was average above 1500 m (5000 feet) and limited below. The region was then impacted by a historic atmospheric river from Dec. 8-12. that led to flooding and landslides closing I-90 and Highway 2. Snowpack was completely lost at most locations below 1500 m including the Mount Baker station in Heather Meadows (1285 m). Above 1500 m at Lyman Lake (1825 m) SWE increased by 15 cm, which was 50% of the 30 cm of precipitation that fell in this period. The last half of December snow depth increased from 0 to 1.5 m at Heather Meadows. Snowpack built to 1.2 m w.e. at Lyman Lake by March 15, and then hovered around this peak until mid-April. At…
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