Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

A stormy, unsettled weather pattern begins Saturday night and continues through the upcoming week. Avalanche conditions will worsen Sunday as a mix of wet and dry snow problems develop. Monitor changing conditions throughout the day, and steer around consequential slopes where you find fresh wind-loading or rain on snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    A wet frontal system will bring 3-6in of new snow and strong SW winds to Mt Hood over the next 24 hours. New and wind-loaded snow will fall on a variety of old snow surfaces and may not bond well initially. Conditions will be most dangerous on north and east aspects at upper elevations where you could trigger an avalanche over 1ft thick in wind-loaded terrain 35 degrees and steeper. Pay attention to changes in snow surface texture and hardness with aspect and elevation. Look and feel for blowing snow, sharp drifts, and hollow-sounding snow. Be leery of slopes below cornices, large cliff bands, and cross-loaded gullies. Reduce your risk by seeking out lower angled terrain sheltered from the wind.

    (2/20/2022) Example photo of cracking within freshly wind-loaded snow. Photo: Paige Baugher

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    With snow levels rising to 5000ft, rain and wet heavy snow may cause a round of small wet avalanches below treeline. There are plenty of cold dry surfaces that could see an abrupt transition Sunday, and wet avalanches could occur naturally or be human triggered in steep, unsupported terrain. Anticipate stability to deteriorate when it starts to rain. Look for rollerballs and pinwheels as signs that loose wet avalanches could follow. Remember that even a small wet avalanche could be consequential if it carries you into a gully or over rocks and cliffs. 

Avalanche Discussion

Expect stormy conditions Sunday with mixed precipitation and a steady warming trend. A fresh crop of wind slabs could be increasingly reactive to human traffic as they thicken throughout the day. An atmospheric river looks to impact the region Sunday night into Monday. Snow levels should climb up into the alpine. Precipitation amounts are uncertain, but it looks to be a wet and wild storm with dangerous avalanche conditions developing overnight Sunday.

Snow surfaces are a mixed bag of cold, settled powder, hard old wind slab, and sun-affected snow. Observers on the north, east, and south sides of Mt Hood found generally stable conditions Friday and Saturday. At lower elevations and on steep southerly aspects, many rocks, tree stumps, and other ground hazards are shallowly buried under the recent snow. 

Regions covered