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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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Triggering a lingering slab of wind-drifted snow is becoming more difficult, but not necessarily impossible. Use caution on steep or unsupported terrain in shaded areas that show signs of recent wind loading. Warming temperatures may set the stage for wet avalanches near cliffy, sun-exposed slopes that hold soft snow. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Triggering a 1-3 foot hard wind slab is becoming more difficult as slabs continue to bond to the old snow surfaces. However, I wouldn’t write off this problem totally yet. These slabs will only be two days old, and there was plenty of recent avalanche activity on Saturday to maintain this problem in this forecast. Warming temperatures and continued sun should help slabs gain strength on many sun-exposed slopes, but that may not be the case in more shaded, rocky, northerly terrain at upper elevations and on the upper mountain. 

    Pay attention to surface clues as you change aspect. Hollow-sounding pockets that crack under your feet are great reasons to default to less steep terrain.  

    (12/28/2025)

    I still found isolated signs of instability in wind drifted snow on Sunday.

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Loose Wet

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

    Rising freezing levels (up to 11,000 ft by the afternoon) and a good amount of sun may set the stage for some wet loose avalanche activity on steep, solar aspects. Forecasting wet avalanches is always tricky after a significant wind event, mainly since wind stiffened surfaces don't weaken as quickly initially. This problem is not always a slam dunk, so it will be essential to make your own observations as you move through terrain. 

    If wet loose start peeling off, they’ll likely happen on very steep, unsupported terrain beneath rock-bands that hold softer snow with less wind effect. Places like the wind sheltered gullies of Gnarl Ridge or the steep, south-facing canyon walls of White River come to mind. 

    Keep an eye out for rollerballs, pinwheels, or sticky surfaces as obvious clues that the surface is weakening. Plan your day with aspect options, so you can easily escape sunny slopes if you don’t like what you’re seeing.

    (4/4/2025)

    Rollerballs like this are a precursor to wet loose avalanches. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Lots of people took advantage of the beautiful weather on Sunday. Field observations generally reported less reactivity in wind drifted snow than on previous days and plenty of evidence of high winds across the middle and upper elevations in the zone.

Look for a sharp rise in freezing levels on Monday as they creep to 11,000 ft. Temperature inversions will likely keep many trailheads, especially on the east side, colder than middle and upper elevations. With that in mind, you’ll likely find warming-induced avalanche hazards to be more prominent as you gain elevation Monday.

Mt. Hood has received 10-12 inches of new snow since Christmas Eve. Below 7000 ft (we’re not sure above this), this new snow rests over a thin melt freeze crust that formed during the brief warm-up on Christmas Eve. Some recent avalanche activity matched these depths, but a weak layer was never confirmed in any of them. Snowpack tests have shown some weaker snow around this 12/24 crust, but we haven’t seen this weak layer fully propagate in longer columns yet. This layer will likely provide less feedback as we head into a relatively stagnant weather period, but it may be worth digging deeper to assess the bond before riding steep, open slopes.

Despite recent accumulations, the snowpack remains thin by late December standards. Keep an eye out for shallow coverage down low and scoured areas or thinly bridged, crevasses in alpine terrain. 

 

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