Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You can trigger avalanches in pockets of wind drifted snow on Friday. Blowing snow should be abundant, so pay attention to where it's drifting to help you identify problematic slopes. Default to lower-angled, less exposed terrain if you notice shooting cracks or hear audible whumphs.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    You may be able to trigger 1-2 ft thick wind slabs on Friday. The 5-8 inches of new snow Thursday was accompanied by strong southwest winds, which built fresh cornices and dense slabs along ridgelines. These existing slabs are still healing, and additional loading on Friday will not help the situation. Some of these wind-drifted slabs could break in surprising ways and propagate widely if they rest on weak snow sitting on a crust.

    Blowing snow should be quite obvious, so pay attention to where it's drifting to help you identify what slopes are loading up. You can also look for surface clues such as textured snow, pillow-like slabs, or fresh cornices to help you spot where the wind has been at work. Avoid wind-loaded terrain if you notice signs of instability, such as shooting cracks, whumphing, or recent avalanche activity. 

     

    (3/23/2023)

    Consider moving to less wind-exposed terrain if you notice signs of instability like this. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Friday, will bring a quick break in precipitation before more active weather moves into the region Friday night. The main story will be the strong west winds. You likely won't have to go far out of the trailhead to witness blowing snow. The sun may even pop out for a few moments through the day, so keep an eye out for rollerballs or sticky snow surfaces on solar slopes, as these are indicators of wet loose avalanches. These likely won't grow too big or widespread, but worth keeping on your radar if you find yourself on sunny slopes. 

The winter storm train officially commences this weekend across the Pacific Northwest. You may be hungry to find the goods in the coming days, but remember the danger is only on the rise now. The recent dry stretch brought cooler temperatures and relatively clear skies, which helped weaken snow surfaces. Now we're starting to build a slab on top of this. 

On Thursday my partner and I found exactly this in upper Heather Canyon, a weaker layer of snow sitting above and below a thin crust about 6 inches below the snow surface. In wind loaded areas we observed shooting cracks and small slabs releasing on this softer layer of snow above the crust. Another observer traveling in the Cloud Cap area also reported reactive pockets of drifted snow and snowpack tests failing easily on a crust in the upper snowpack. 

Look for a spike in avalanche danger these next days as winter storms start barrelling through the region. 

 

Regions covered