When a massive wall of snow comes crashing down a mountain, it doesn’t just bring snow and ice, it also pushes a surge of air in front of it. An avalanche wind is the powerful rush of air that races ahead of a fast-moving avalanche. An avalanche wind can be strong enough to snap trees, shatter windows, and knock people off their feet, even before the snow itself arrives.

These winds are especially dangerous in large, dry-snow avalanches where the snow is powdery and fast-moving. The rushing snow creates a blast of wind capable of causing damage far beyond the avalanche path. In some cases, buildings have been destroyed by the avalanche wind alone, even when they weren’t hit by the main flow of snow.

Avalanche winds are a dramatic reminder of how avalanches aren't just a snow hazard, they're also powerful atmospheric events. For people living in mountainous regions, especially near avalanche-prone slopes, understanding the full force of an avalanche, including its wind, is key to staying safe.

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Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.