Rangers are calling a massive avalanche on Mt. Baker an estimated “100-year event.”

The slide occurred Thursday morning from the Shuksan Arm Wilderness Area down into Rumble Gully.

No one was injured and no property was damaged, but trees were destroyed by the force.

Warming temperatures have caused unstable snow conditions, causing the Mt. Baker Ski Area to close.

According to the Mt. Baker snow report, the area has received 110 inches of snowfall in the last six days, and snowfall this month has surpassed the entire month of March in the record year of 1998-1999.

The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center has issued an extreme avalanche danger rating for the backcounty Thursday.

NWAC is also stating that "all in all, a very dangerous avalanche situation in the backcountry is getting worse … this is no time for mountain recreation away from ski areas, all backcountry travelers should be aware of the danger of very deep unconsolidated snow and the potential for tree well burials … (as well as) the potential for very large and destructive avalanches in the backcountry.”

The ski area will reopen once freezing levels have cooled to 1,000 feet and conditions have stabilized.