Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

As new snow piles up watch for shallow, yet reactive wind slabs to be forming.  You will find these sensitive slabs on east-facing start zones, lee-sides of ridges, and pushing further down into treeline due to gusty winds.  Give yourself some space from fresh cornices and slopes that show signs of recent loading. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    New snow ( .25-.50 swe) and gusty southwest winds will be at work to create a fresh crop of shallow wind slabs. These slabs will likely be 6-12 inches thick and may be enough to push you off your feet and could be large enough to carry you in the alpine.  Once you start nearing treeline, look for these wind-drifted slabs to be forming.  

    Use small, inconsequential test slopes and hand pits as a way to see how reactive newly formed slabs are. Wind rippled snow, pillow-like slabs, or shooting cracks are all common characteristics of wind slabs.  Cracks shooting out from your skis or machine clearly indicate that you've found an unstable wind slab.  

    So as the day progresses and new snow piles up, consider steering around steep wind drifted slopes. 

    Shooting cracks - a red flag that should not be ignored.  Avoid steep wind loaded slopes if you notice signs like this. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

 

It's been a couple of days since we have seen large avalanches releasing in wind-loaded areas. Most of these avalanches were explosive triggered at the ski area and running on the 1/14 rain crust - which is a stout, slick crust that acts as the perfect bed surface.  Going forward, this could be a possible interface that avalanches  will continue to fail and run on.  However, they could also fail on the new snow that we received in the past days, especially if the surface snow has undergone some faceting from the clear and cold night on 1/16.  On Tuesday, an observer reported finding a sun-crust on solar slopes that extended up to 5500 ft.   As new snow continues to accumalate, the story will continue, and these crusts could be possible players.  

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

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