Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Watch as snow surfaces thaw throughout the day. You may see minor wet avalanche activity on steep sun-exposed slopes. Icy and variable conditions could be your greatest hazard.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Friday looks to be the warmest, sunniest day so far this week. Expect refrozen snow surfaces to melt on E-S-W aspects and for some small wet loose activity to occur. Watch for rollerballs and moist snow surfaces as warning signs. Time your day and have a backup plan to move to shadier or lower angled slopes if necessary. Use caution in very steep terrain and around terrain traps like cliffs and gullies where even small wet avalanches could be dangerous.

    (2/16/2022)

    Warm, muggy air trapped under the clouds creating a greenhouse effect and causing rollerballs and pinwheels on Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain.

    Photo: Aldis Raisters

Avalanche Discussion

Snow surfaces are heavily wind affected and many slopes are scoured to the icy old snow surface or bare ground. Avalanches in wind drifted snow have become unlikely, but are not impossible. Look and feel for abrupt transitions from icy surfaces to smooth, rounded, hollow-sounding snow. There is a small chance of encountering an unstable wind drift in steep unsupported alpine terrain below cliffs, in gullies, and on convex rollovers.

The storm February 14-15 brought 8-10in of new snow that is generally well-bonded to the underlying crust buried on Valentine's Day. The most recent slab avalanche activity occurred early Tuesday when Mt Hood Meadows Patrol trigged two large wind slabs with explosives. Since the storm ended, small wet loose avalanche activity occurred each day on sunny slopes near and below treeline. The storm snow has now settled to 4-6in on shady wind-sheltered slopes. Elsewhere, it has been blasted by wind or sun/temperature affected leaving variable and challenging travel conditions. 

Prior to the recent storm, the snowpack endured a beating during a prolonged period of unseasonably warm, dry weather. Fortunately, snow depths on Mt Hood are still 83-88% of normal for this time of year, much better than many other parts of the region. Check out the latest Snow Depth Climatology report for more information.

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