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RegisterMar 23rd, 2015–Mar 24th, 2015
Mt Hood.
Possible overnight stormy conditions Monday night at Mt Hood make avalanche problems more likely on Tuesday than in the Washington Cascades.
Light snow showers should decrease at Mt Hood Tuesday with fairly low snow levels.
Beware that the possible overnight stormy conditions may bring more snow and increase the likelihood of the avalanche problems at Mt Hood on Tuesday.
New likely wind slab should be expected on lee slopes mainly ATL or NTL at Mt Hood on Tuesday. Use extra caution near slope convexities where storm or wind slab avalanches are more likely to be triggered.
New likely storm slab should also be found in areas that receive more than an inch of snow an hour for more than several hours Monday night where there is less wind.
We are past the equinox and the sun is rapidly getting stronger and new snow will be susceptible to sun effects. Watch for likely wet snow deeper than a few inches or snowballing or natural loose wet avalanches by Tuesday midday on solar slopes. This is also more likely at Mt Hood if there is the expected heavier snowfall Monday night.
Remember the NWAC forecast applies to elevations up to the Cascade crest. A greater danger is often found above the crest on the upper volcanoes.
Less recent snow and ample terrain anchors should limit the avalanche danger below treeline. Many areas below treeline do not have enough snow to cause an avalanche danger at Mt Hood.
About 4-6 inches of snow was seen above about 6000 feet Saturday as reported by the Meadows ski patrol. The winds and new snow did build some stiff wind slab on northeast slopes up to 1 foot in places. But these stiff slabs were unreactive to ski cutting as the new snow fell on old wet snow and formed a good bond and thus were resistant to triggers.
No additional avalanche activity was reported Sunday by Meadows patrol.
A weak upper short wave and unstable air mass is moving over the Northwest on Monday. This is favoring the volcanoes including Mt Hood for snow showers. The Meadows patrol on Monday reported winds and rapid loading ATL. Ski cuts were beginning to cause 4-6 inch wind slab avalanches.
Another rapidly moving shortwave will carry a surface low across the north Oregon Cascades Monday night. This should bring possible overnight stormy conditions at Mt Hood.
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. The snowpack at low elevations remains meager to non-existent.