Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

The mountain will be calling on Saturday, but don't let the sun blind your ability to identify pockets of wind-blown snow on leeward slopes above 6000 ft. These slabs could trigger easily if they fail on the recently buried slick crust. As the day heats up, steer around steep slopes pointing south if you notice sticky surfaces, rollerballs, or rime shedding off cliffs. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Recent strong winds have built wind slabs ranging from soft to hard and up to 1 ft deep. You'll generally find the largest and most consequential slabs above 6000 ft on the east side of the compass (NE-E-SE aspects).  Some pockets of drifted snow may have the potential to break widely if they rest over weak snow on a slick crust.  

    Great places to find these slabs are on the lee-side of canyon walls, below cornices, and under rock and cliff bands. You may also find them on upper mountain terrain features, like in chutes/couloirs and on the breakover of unsupported slopes.  High wind speeds may have pushed these slabs further down slope than usual, so don't be surprised if you find stiffer pockets of snow on mid-slope convexities. You can avoid this problem by steering around freshly drifted and textured slopes. Shooting cracks or whumphing collapses are apparent signs of instability that should not be ignored. 

    (2/6/2024)

    A recent shooting crack in wind drifted snow. You can use small test slopes and hand pits to check the sensitivity of the recent wind-drifted snow. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    We have just enough dry new snow resting over the recent crust that we may see a round of small wet loose avalanches. These slides will generally be confined to sunny aspects, pointing south, but could entrain the 6-8 inches over the crust. Steer around steep solar slopes once you notice the surface getting sticky or if you see rollerballs initiating. Rollerballs and pinwheels are indicators that wet loose avalanches may soon follow. 

     

    (4/7/2023)

    As the day warms up, look for warning signs such as rollerballs or pinwheels like this. 

    Photo: Jeff Bursett

Avalanche Discussion

Saturday is shaping up to be a pleasant day on Mt Hood. I suspect many people will push onto the upper mountain to find better sliding conditions. If you do, keep in mind that we have limited information from upper elevations due to recent storms and poor visibility. Ease into the terrain slowly and be ready to make your own snowpack assessments as you travel on the upper mountain.

The recent system on Friday favored the western parts of the mountain. Timberline and Ski Bowl reported the most precipitation picking up 2-3 inches of new snow.  Mt Hood Meadows and areas further east barely picked up a trace. Across much of the zone, you'll typically find 6-8 inches of recent accumulation over the early February crust.  

In the past week, observers and forecasters have been finding surprisingly reactive pockets of wind-drifted snow at middle and upper elevations. These slabs have generally been shallow but surprisingly very easy to trigger. On Thursday, we found the culprit being small facets sitting on a crust on the north side of Mt Hood. You can check out the full observation here. The forecast team is uncertain how widespread this weak snow is, but we've received the most reports of sensitive slabs (even several days after formation) living on  N- E aspects. 

The lower elevation snowpack has endured a beating after last week's warm-up. Below 5000 ft you'll encounter plenty of shallowly buried objects, open creeks, and rough surfaces. 

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