Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

Highlights

Continued snow and wind will make it easy for you to trigger a wind slab avalanche in firmer snow at upper elevations.  The early season snowpack is still building;  don't get caught off guard and raked through exposed or barely buried obstacles like rocks and stumps.    

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Avoid steep open slopes where you find firmer wind-pressed or hollow-sounding snow.  Shooting cracks out ahead of your feet are tell-tale signs to choose lower angle or more wind-sheltered terrain. 

    Shallow wind slabs began to build Thursday and will only be thicker and more consequential on Friday, especially at upper elevations.  We do not have a mid-winter snowpack, even at higher elevations.  Before you enter avalanche terrain, weigh the consequences of getting caught in any size avalanche and raked through rough terrain like exposed rocks, trees and creeks. 

    (12/7/2023)

    Shooting cracks in the new wind-drifted snow Thursday. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

5-7" of new snow was blowing around on Thursday and forming thin yet sensitive wind slabs (here and here) above 6500'.  This trend is only going to continue overnight with another helping of light to moderate snow and strong west winds.  It's nice to see flakes falling and a fresh coat of snow on the landscape following the recent atmospheric river.  The few professionals who were out on Thursday reported the new snow was generally bonding well to the underlying and supportable crust.  Travel was challenging at all elevations due to low and variable snow cover along with limited visibility in the alpine.

Observations during the recent multi-day storm cycle that ended earlier this week and dumped about 10-12" of precipitation (the majority of that rain) were few and far between.  We did hear from the USGS that several seismically detected avalanches occurred on the mountain on 12/2 and 12/4. The larger (D2-3) of these two events (12/2) likely occurred around 9000ft near the Sandy Headwall on the mountain's west side.

Regions covered