Avalanche Forecast

Tuesday should be another warm and at least initially sunny day. Most areas do not have sufficient loose surface snow to become wet and easily available for wet snow avalanches. However, in isolated areas the best window for small wet loose avalanches on steeper solar slopes should occur in the late morning or mid-day before increasing high clouds and SW winds diminish the already small likelihood. 

Cornices are not listed as an expected problem, but may begin to weaken during the warmest part of the day. It's the time of year to be extra aware of the hazards cornices pose travelling along or below ridgelines. 

Due to the low snowpack, especially below treeline, watch for terrain hazards such as open creeks, partially covered rocks and vegetation. Many areas below treeline do not have enough snow (new or existing) to pose an avalanche hazard.

The latest snowfall in the Cascades is becoming a fading memory, occurring near the end of February when about 4-10 inches fell near and above treeline at Mt Hood. This storm was followed by strong northeast winds at Mt Hood. The Meadows patrol reported that the winds were so strong to have blasted the shallow surface snow to who knows where, rather than building new wind slab layers.

Sunny and gradually warmer weather has been seen the first third of March helping to stabilize isolated wind slab from the end of February and further consolidate the snowpack. Recent reports throughout the Cascades generally indicate hard or firm melt-freeze crusts or stable old snow still preserved on non-solar aspects at elevation. There was almost no snowfall in January and February and none so far in March. The snowpack at lower elevations is meager and way below normal. There have not been any reports of significant avalanches for a long time. 

The mid and lower snowpack at Mt Hood consists of layers of stable consolidated rounded grains or melt forms and crusts from multiple warm periods this winter.