Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

A potent storm will create dynamic avalanche conditions around Mt. Hood on Saturday. Intense wind loading, heavy snowfall, and some warming may even set the stage for natural avalanche activity, especially during the later day and evening hours. Avoid travel on slopes greater than 35 degrees and minimize your time spent under bigger, wind loaded terrain. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Significant new snowfall and strong to extreme SW winds will rapidly build thick slabs on leeward terrain. Look for these slabs to be thicker and more widespread as you climb above 6000 ft. These slabs will be sensitive and easy to trigger all day, but they may even release naturally during periods with intense loading or during the later afternoon and evening when a warming trend takes place.

    It won’t be the day to sneak around steep wind-loaded terrain in any elevation band; just simply avoid it. Give the snowpack time to adjust to the heavy load of new snow. Choose simple, low-angle terrain away from the run-out of large avalanche paths. Fortunately, good powder riding can be found in lower-angled terrain out of the wind. 

    (3/14/2025)

    Moderate winds productively drifted new snow into leeward terrain on Friday. Slabs will only grow thicker and more widespread as new snow stacks up on Friday night and through the day Saturday. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Storm Slabs

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

    We’re getting enough new precipitation that triggering avalanches in more sheltered terrain may become a real concern, especially as temperatures warm during the afternoon and evening hours. Plenty of low-density snow fell on Friday, so any heavier snow falling over this may create upside-down layering and the perfect recipe for storm slab avalanches. 

    These avalanches will most likely be during (or shortly after) periods of intense precipitation. Simple tests like using small test slopes or quick hand pits can provide valuable information about the reactivity of the new snow. Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain. 

    Additional Discussion: Several small dry loose avalanches were reported on Friday. Expect more of these small point release sluffs in steep features on Saturday. Below 4500  ft, these may be in the form of wet loose. 

    (2/18/2025)

    An example of a small skier triggered a storm slab on Pea Gravel Ridge. 

     

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Mt. Hood is about to receive the lion's share of precipitation and wind out of this storm. Intense wind loading, heavy snowfall, and a warming trend later in the day will be the perfect recipe to create dynamic avalanche conditions. Natural avalanches may even occur during periods of heavy loading or during Saturday evening when snow levels spike up to 5000 ft. 

 After a dry start to March, the snowpack is finally making a comeback. Starting on the 12th, new snow started to pile up over a widespread stout crust. As of Friday evening, weather stations have picked up over 15 inches of new snow since the 12th, with higher accumulations at middle and upper elevations. Instabilities have mainly been confined to wind-loaded terrain (observation here), but that may change on Saturday as new snow stacks up across the zone. 

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