Lawinenlagebericht

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Mon
Hochgebirge
4 · Gross
Waldgrenze
4 · Gross
Unterhalb
4 · Gross
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

A strong atmospheric river will bring several inches of rain to the Mt Hood zone. So don’t overthink it; Sunday is shaping up to be a very dangerous day since we’re expecting large and deadly natural avalanches. Avoid all areas where avalanches can start, run, or stop.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wet Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Very Likely
    Größe
    2–3

    Inches of rain on a dry layered snowpack will set the stage for large wet slab avalanches. Some avalanches may even be very large (D3s) in upper-elevation terrain. 

    These types of avalanches are not the kind you tip-toe around. You are either in the way or not. Any slope above 35 degrees and the run-out of large avalanche paths - should all be considered suspect. The best policy will be to simply avoid travel on or near steep slopes that could avalanche. 

    (12/26/2022)

    These are the type of avalanches you may see on Sunday. Wet slabs can be very destructive. 

    Photo: Crystal Mountain Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Wow, it's been an impressive storm so far! Observers and weather stations have been reporting 25-35 inches of new storm snow and over 2 inches of SWE in the last 24 hours.  And the storm is far from over. Over the next 24 hours, the Mt Hood zone is forecast to receive several more inches of water, which will unfortunately mostly fall as heavy rain.  

On Saturday, in the Vista Ridge area, I found nearly 30 inches of new snow sitting on the 11/30 crust. At the start of my tour, I didn't have to go far to start hearing audible collapses. Snowpack tests indicated an upside structure at these elevations (below 6000 ft) and produced consistent propagation on a mid-storm layer (see photos in the gallery for more info). I typically observed this layer 12-15 inches below the snow surface. On more shaded aspects ( N-NE) above 5500 ft, I also noted some weak, faceted snow lingering under the 11/30 crust. This layer didn't produce any notable results, but it is worth considering as a potential weak layer for avalanches to fail on. 

Leading up to this storm, upper-elevation slopes and leeward aspects at mid-elevations were the only places that held snow. Many lower-elevation slopes held little to no snow. While less likely, you may find isolated pockets of weak snow (facets or surface hoar) lingering on mid and upper-elevation shaded slopes. 

If you get out into the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation. 

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