Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 9 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Strong winds and fresh snowfall will load the same lee slopes where there is enough coverage to ride.  That means, it may take more self-discipline to avoid steep, smooth lee slopes where you can trigger a large avalanche. Widespread early season hazards amplify the risk of any ride or slide.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Most of the avalanche hazard exists above 6000 ft, where snow coverage on Mt Hood starts to increase dramatically. Heavy, dense snowfall combined with strong winds will build fresh slabs you can easily trigger. Ridgelines and windward slopes may be stripped bare, but you'll likely find rapidly developing sharp cornices and growing wind slabs on the lee slopes of canyons and moraines. Active or recent transport forming dense, pillow-like slabs, or thick top-heavy drifts deserve your attention and avoidance. While hazards in the middle elevations are likely to be small (D1-1.5), keep in mind that with early season hazards very much in play, your typical escape routes may be limited.

    At upper elevations, the storm will be intense with strong winds and blizzard conditions at times. Natural avalanches are possible and it may be easy to trigger one on a steep, open slope, even well below ridgelines. Be aware of and don't linger below large open slopes where an avalanche could descend from above. You may have to infer these from your map due to limited visibility. Sometimes when winds are this strong, it blows the snow right off the mountain. Other times, we get slabs forming well below start zones. Prepare for the uncertainty and avoid steep, relatively smooth lee slopes steeper than 35 degrees.

    Shooting cracks in stiff  wind drifted snow. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

The Mt Hood snowpack (where it exists) absorbed 3.25-4" of water Thursday night and Friday. Snow levels reached at least 7,300 ft, but likely closer to 9,000-10,000 ft and wind gusts registered up to 103 mph on Friday at the top of Magic Mile at Timberline. These strong winds should continue Friday night and ease only slightly on Saturday. These extreme conditions in exposed terrain will add significant challenge as you negotiate early season snow coverage and fresh wind slab hazard. Take an extra step back in your approach to terrain management as a result. Often, during the mid-winter season we might have overlapping avalanche problems adding to the complexity, but non-avalanche hazards will be significant factors on Saturday.

Joe Dellaporta visited the south side of Mt Hood during a recent weather window on Wednesday. Coverage is likely to be similar on Saturday, but you should find more fresh snow and deeper drifts. You might expect snow totals in the 8-12" by late Saturday at upper elevations and in the 4-8" where near the top of the middle elevation band. 

Given prevailing wind patters, the same lee slopes that have existing snow coverage (smooth slopes) will be loaded once again with this storm. You don't have your normal options to ride relatively safer exits down ridgelines or windward slopes as these slopes are largely wind-stripped or bare. If you don't have a safer low-angled descent route with enough snow to ride, there's no shame in walking back down your safer ascent route. Remember it's a long winter season in the PNW and you'll have plenty more opportunities.

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.

Regions covered