Lawinenlagebericht

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

A couple of inches of new snow combined with strong winds will make for a heads-up day to be traveling in wind-loaded terrain. Avalanches could be easy to trigger and break wider than expected if they fail on a slick crust 6-12 inches below the surface. Fortunately, you can easily manage this problem by avoiding slopes that appear freshly drifted or by traveling on wind-stripped features. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    A couple more inches of new snow and strong NW winds will help wind slabs grow in size and sensitivity on Friday. The west side of the mountain will get the most precipitation out of this system, so expect to find the largest and most sensitive slabs above 6000 ft near Timberline, in places like the Upper White River, Zigzag Canyon, or upper mountain terrain features. Some of these wind slabs could propagate widely and break across terrain features if they fail on weak snow resting on a slick crust from early February. 

     Winds have blown from multiple directions over the last 24 hours, but you'll encounter the most consequential slabs on the leeward sides of ridges ( NE-E-SE aspects), below cornices, and beneath rock and cliff bands. Pay attention to blowing snow, textured surfaces, and pillow-like slabs at the surface to help you identify where the wind has been at work. Shooting cracks and whumphing collapses are obvious clues that you found an unstable slab. 

    (2/6/2024)

    Pump the brakes and default to more sheltered terrain if you notice shooting cracks like this. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

A disturbance on NW flow should bring a quarter inch of precipitation (2-4 inches of snow) accompanied by strong NW winds. The western side of the mountain will be favored with the most precipitation, with less the further east you travel. Places like Tilly Jane or Lookout Mountain may only get a skiff if lucky. 

On Thursday, the Mt Hood Meadows Pro Patrol reported triggering small 4-6 inch soft slabs failing on the early February crust in wind-loaded terrain above 6000 ft. In the past week, observers and forecasters have found reactive pockets of drifted snow at middle and upper elevations.  These slabs have generally been shallow but surprisingly very easy to trigger. On Thursday, we found the culprit being small facets sitting on a crust on the north side of Mt Hood. You can check out the full observation here. The forecast team is uncertain how widespread this weak snow is, but we've received the most reports of sensitive slabs (even several days after formation) living on E-NE aspects. While not too concerning yet, observers have also reported a fresh crop of surface hoar living in sheltered areas. As new snow piles up, we'll want to track this new interface. 

Despite the recent 4-8 inches of new snow, you'll still find variable travel and firm conditions, especially on steep alpine slopes or wind-stripped aspects. Traction like crampons and an ice axe is still advised if you plan on traveling in exposed, upper elevation terrain. 

The lower elevation snowpack has endured a beating after last week's warm-up. Below 5000 ft you'll encounter plenty of shallowly buried objects, open creeks, and rough surfaces. 

Your avalanche, snowpack, or weather observations are extremely valuable to the forecasters at NWAC. Help create a more accurate avalanche forecast by submitting your observations here. 

 

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