Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Monday brings big change with snow transitioning to rain and freezing levels climbing to 8500ft. Prepare for a dynamic day as cold powder and fresh cornices thaw, and concerns shift from dry to wet avalanches. Seek out simple, low-angle terrain and anticipate dangerous avalanche conditions by afternoon.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Snowfall should continue Sunday night and Monday morning with an additional 2-4in of heavy dense snow. This may create an up-side-down layering, forming a fresh crop of reactive wind slabs, and thickening existing slabs from the weekend. The largest and most dangerous wind slabs will exist at upper elevations, particularly on easterly aspects. Cornices loom as well and could fall on slopes below acting as huge triggers. With all the recent wind, you may even find unstable wind drifted snow in open start zones below treeline. Look and feel for changes in snow surface texture and hardness as you move through terrain. Be leery of cornices, areas near rocks and cliffs, and the lee sides of gullies and ridgelines. Seek out supported terrain features and slopes sheltered from the wind to avoid the problem.  

    (3/20/2022) Skier triggered cornice and a small shallow wind slab Photo: Andrew Kiefer

  • Loose Wet

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

    The bulk of precipitation Monday falls as snow, with a transition to rain by early afternoon. As the cold dry snow from the weekend gets wet, it will rapidly lose strength with increasing potential for wet avalanches. These conditions may not develop until late in the day, but elevated danger should continue overnight and into Tuesday as freezing levels skyrocket.  There is some uncertainty whether wet avalanche activity will peak with the rain late Monday, or with 9000ft freezing levels and strong March sun Tuesday. Regardless, we expect widespread wet avalanches over the next 48 hours. Give the snowpack time to adjust and choose conservative terrain if you're caught out in the rain.

    Example photo of wet avalanche conditions similar to what we expect for Monday afternoon.

    Photo: Ron Martin

Avalanche Discussion

Storms since Friday brought 6-8in of cold dry snow with precipitation favoring the south and west sides of Mt Hood. Strong and gusty westerly winds redistributed the new snow into thicker drifts on leeward slopes and rapidly overbuilt cornices. A handful of artificially triggered wind slabs to size D2 occurred Sunday in upper elevation terrain around Timberline Lodge and Mt Hood Meadows. Many cornice chunks fell naturally over the weekend, and observers noted cornices were generally larger and more sensitive to triggers than they typically have been this winter. All the recent new and wind drifted snow sits on the 3/17 crust, with a strong spring-like snowpack below.

Regions covered