Mt Hood

The avalanche danger is low. Avoid steep sun exposed slopes if snow becomes wet in more than the top few inches; small wet loose slides could be problematic in isolated areas.

A mild day with increasing mid and high level clouds is expected on Friday. Despite the high freezing levels, Friday should be relatively cooler than earlier in the week. Increased cloud cover should also minimize the loose wet avalanche problems even on steep solar aspects. 

Remember that areas with shallow snow may become unstable first or may initiate from rocks or vegetation. Avoid steep sun exposed slopes when snow becomes wet in more than the top few inches.

As a general backcountry travel safety note, watch for terrain hazards (exposed rocks, trees, streams, etc) at lower elevations and on wind scoured aspects. On non-solar aspects with a slick and supportable crust, take extra caution when traversing steep slopes and be prepared to self-arrest if necessary.  

The Mt. Hood area saw a few inches of snowfall Sunday before followed by 2.5 - 4.5 inches of precipitation accumulated through Monday, mainly in the form of rain.  

Sunny and unseasonably warm weather set in through mid-week. This has allowed draining, consolidation, stabilizing and a general reset of the upper or even entire snowpack. Wet grains are slowly re-freezing throughout the snowpack. Surface crusts likely vary greatly across elevations and aspects.  

Few observations have been received this week but the avalanche danger should be Low.