Snowmobiler buried in Wyoming. It’s the 12th deadly avalanche in the US this season

A snowmobiler died after getting caught and buried in an avalanche in Wyoming, officials said.

The snowmobiler was riding near Willow Park on Saturday, March 12, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said. Willow Park is just north of the Colorado-Wyoming border.

The person became caught in the avalanche and did not survive.

“From the pictures, it looks like the same persistent weak layer we are dealing with in Colorado. Be careful on northerly and easterly-facing slopes right now,” the Avalanche Information Center said on Facebook. “These avalanches can catch you off guard.”

An avalanche can happen quickly and catch people by surprise. Avalanches can move between 60 mph and 80 mph and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to officials.

Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope.

In the U.S., avalanches are most common between December and April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions are right, National Geographic reported.

At least 12 people have died in avalanches in the U.S. since Dec. 11, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported as of March 15.

At least four people died in Colorado, and more than a dozen were caught or buried.

Snowshoers and their dog were found dead in January after they were buried in avalanche debris near Hoosier Pass. In February, an avalanche swept a party of backcountry snowshoes, killing a 27-year-old man.

At the beginning of the season, a backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche on Christmas Eve near Fort Collins, McClatchy News reported.

This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Snowmobiler buried in Wyoming. It’s the 12th deadly avalanche in the US this season."