Mt Hood

Winds may form isolated shallow drifts near shaded slopes, while cooler conditions lock crusts in place. The risk of a long, sliding fall remains on most aspects. Make sure you have sharps to arrest a fall and know how to use them.

The weather pattern has been mostly static for 11 days, and although temperatures were in the 30s and 40s on Thursday, conditions were slightly cooler than in recent days.  We're expecting more signficant cooling Thursday night into Friday, with E winds increasing into the moderate range. The SW-S-SE aspects that the sun softened during mid-day hours in recent days are likely to remain firm throughout the day on Friday. This cooling trend should lock wet snow instabilities out of the picture, but increase the long, sliding fall hazard around Mt. Hood.

The increasing E winds could dry snow available for transport on some shaded aspects. Atypical aspects could form shallow slabs overlying crusts or faceting "recycled" powder. While most of these will be too small to harm you on Friday, pay particular attention if you're on the north side of Mt Hood where shaded slopes and drier upper snowpacks may be more widespread. Actively drifting snow is your best clue to wind slab formation on Friday. Steer around steeper slopes where recent wind drifts might be 6" or deeper.

Long, sliding fall accidents occur every year on the Cascade volcanoes.  This will be a good time to pack your crampons, an ice axe, and helmet if you plan on recreating in steep terrain. Climbers will likely find more enjoyable conditions and then folks attempting to ski or ride as sun softening will become more limited across middle and upper elevations. 

As you’d expect, the warm temperatures have left their mark on the snowpack around Mt. Hood. Our already lean snowpack continues to decrease, especially around rocky sun-exposed slopes and on previously scoured ridges. East-South- West aspects have been through many days of melt and freeze, while dry, faceting snow can still be found in isolated shaded areas or at lower elevations below the inversion. 

Approaches remain typical of early season conditions. Open creeks, rocks, and trees continue to plague the terrain and could easily exacerbate the consequences of a small avalanche or long, sliding fall.

While low avalanche danger exists, continue to practice safe travel rituals such as only exposing one person to steep terrain at a time and carrying a functioning beacon, shovel, and probe.