Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Increasing snow levels and warming on Friday will continue to stress the snowpack and maintain the threat of large to very large natural avalanches.  Let the storm run its course by avoiding all areas where avalanches can start, run, or stop. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    2–3

    The risk of large to very large natural avalanches will continue through Friday as heavy loading and rain-on-snow overload the snowpack. Over 40 inches of snow, combined with strong WSW winds, has created dense slabs primed for human-triggering. Wind-loaded slopes contain the thickest, most reactive slabs, but any steep, open slope could produce an avalanche capable of burying or killing a person. Even smaller features, such as steep moraines, may release slabs thick enough to bury someone.

    One very large avalanche (D3+) has already run far into Heather Canyon, with several other D2–D3 seismic signals reported in the White River and upper mountain. Similar-sized avalanches may release with another 2+ inches of water in the forecast for Friday. 

    Avoid traveling on slopes steeper than 30 degrees and routes beneath large avalanche paths. This includes exposed upper canyon runouts, where very large avalanches can snake through during storms like this.

    (3/12/2026)

    The debris of a very large avalanche in Heather Canyon that released during the early morning hours on Thursday. This avalanche ran to roughly 5300 ft.

    Photo: Mt. Hood Meadows Pro Patrol

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Mt. Hood will unfortunately see rain extend to roughly 6500 ft on Friday. This rain-on-snow will likely set the stage for another natural avalanche cycle and make triggering large wet avalanches easy on Friday. With over 40 inches of new snow, these could pack some weight and grow large. Wet, sloppy snow, rollerballs shedding, or recent natural wet avalanches should be good enough reasons to stick to simple, lower-angle terrain. 

    (12/28/2024)

    An example of a large wet avalanche from last season. These could be a similar size on Friday as rain creeps higher up the mountain.

    Photo: Mt. Hood Meadows Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Mt. Hood has seen the lion's share of precipitation with this cycle. As of Thursday evening, totals exceeded 40 inches (>6 inches snow water equivalent). Despite the stormy conditions, the Mt. Hood Meadows Pro Patrol confirmed a very large avalanche (D3.5–D4) in Heather Canyon, which our friends at the USGS also detected seismically. The avalanche ran to 5,300 ft and gouged for 15 minutes; its exact crown elevation remains unknown. The USGS also recorded several large signals likely corresponding to D2–D3 avalanches in White River Canyon, Yocum Ridge, and above Palmer on the south side.

There will be a brief reprieve from the storm action on Thursday night before another pulse of warm moisture slams into the Mt. Hood area on Friday. This wave of moisture will unfortunately, send snow levels higher than we've seen so far to roughly 6500 ft. The start of the day may feel somewhat calm, but expect the storm to intensify through the day and avalanche conditions to become more dangerous as heavy snow and rain begin to fall. This round of heavy precipitation on higher snow levels will likely set the stage for another natural avalanche cycle.

The heavy load of new snow has piled up over a stout crust that was buried on March 9th. Fortunately, this robust crust is limiting deeper layers of concern. Moving forward, avalanches will likely either fail on or just above this crust within the recent storm snow.

Regions covered