Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Another round of snowfall and increasing winds may set the stage for some newly forming soft wind slabs above 6000 ft. New snow may also camouflage the older, hard slabs of drifted snow in alpine terrain. Look for weak layers 1-2 feet below the surface before engaging with steeper terrain, even on more sheltered open slopes that face north and east. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    A new generation of wind slabs will form as another small weather system delivers another 4-6” inches of new snow through Sunday night and Monday. Wind speeds have been rather light by Mt Hood standards, but that looks to change as SW winds start ramping up on Monday afternoon. This will likely help drift recent snow into cohesive slabs as the day progresses. Older, hard wind slabs from this past week still exist in the alpine. We haven't seen any large avalanches in terrain where these would exist, but uncertainty around weak snow resting under these hard slabs should help you travel more conservatively around steep, heavily loaded alpine terrain, specifically near rock bands and unsupported terrain. 

    While wind speeds have been light, there are still plenty of clues like rippled snow surfaces and sharp cornices that can help you pinpoint where slabs exist. Blowing snow may become more obvious as the day grows, which should help you easily identify which slopes are loading up. You found a wind slab if the underlying snow feels still, drum-like, or if cracks shoot out from your skis or feet. 

    Triggering avalanches in more sheltered terrain is less likely, but not out of the question, especially in areas where surface hoar or faceted grains exist under the new snow. Dig down until you hit a crust and look for weak layers with snowpack tests before riding steep, open terrain. 

    (2/15/2026)

    Signs of recent drifting along Pea Gravel Ridge on Sunday. Rippled snow surfaces and sharp drifts like you see here can help you identify loaded terrain. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

We’re in the midst of a steady trickle of snowfall here on Mt. Hood. Another round of precipitation is forecast to bring .50 of water (4-6” of snow) by the end of the day on Monday. This amount of new snow won’t likely be enough to increase the danger beyond moderate, but it may certainly set the stage for a new generation of shallow wind slabs above 6000 ft. 

Snow totals finally ‘overproduced’ on Sunday. Weather stations picked up up to 6 inches of heavy dense snow on fairy light wind speeds. Observers generally found drifted snow to be stubborn below 6500 ft. However, sun breaks and some warming did set the stage for some natural and human triggered wet loose avalanches on steep, sun exposed terrain. Most of these wet loose were running on the stout 2/7 crust. Any of these sun exposed (W-S-SE) aspects will likely have a sun-crust on the surface moving forward.

The big question and uncertainty moving forward remains the distribution of recently buried weak layers, specifically surface hoar and near-surface facets above the 2/7 crust. In my travels up Pea Gravel Ridge on Sunday, I didn’t find the surface but I did find some lightly faceted snow at the new/old snow interface about 1 ft below the surface. We’re not exactly sure how much load we’ll need for these to become active (or if they will at all), but any additional accumulation and wind loading should keep you moving through terrain with some extra suspicion. As snow continues to stack up, dig down and look for these possible weak layers before engaging with steep terrain. 

We could use the observations as winter finally makes a return. Let us know what you see by submitting an observation here or on the AvyApp. 

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