Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

If you travel in avalanche terrain, your best window occurs while snow surfaces remain firm and supportable early in the day. Softening snow surfaces signal a transition to natural or human-triggered wet avalanches on steep slopes or cornices falling from cornices above them. Given the size and unpredictability of both problems, continue to limit your exposure.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    We're entering the late stages of an extended warm and dry spell. We think that wet avalanche activity may have peaked, but avalanches remain unpredictable and potentially large. The risk unfolds once the sun breaks down surface crusts in the morning. It won't take long for direct sunshine to soften the shallow overnight refreeze, so anticipate this transition and be aware of slopes above you that may be warming more rapidly. Wet loose slides could be triggered by a rider in heavy, sloppy, wet snow. Alternatively, these avalanches can be initiated naturally by snow or ice falling off cliffs or even by a cornice fall. 

    Time your travel so you're off and out of the way of any larger slopes once the sun starts cooking surfaces. Avoid avalanche terrain where you're sinking into wet snow above your ankles. 

    (3/16/2024) Debris field of first slide on 3/16 near the old chute, towards the fumarole at the bottom.

  • Cornices

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

    Cornices are no longer pointy and sharp, but they are bulky and leaning precariously after several days in the heat. Given their potentially large size and unpredictable failure, they pose a risk to travelers on the slopes below. Expect the risk to be most elevated during direct sunshine and lighter winds. The most dangerous cornices are large, bulky, and sagging. Give them a wide margin for safety on the slopes below as you travel.

    Rollerballs on a south-facing slope at middle elevation. Moments after this photo was taken, as I skied away, a chunk of the cornice fell.

    Photo: Koby Yudkin

Avalanche Discussion

The Cascades are in a stretch of very warm, sunny weather. This is the first big, spring warm-up, with high temperatures in the 50's and freezing levels over 10,000' through Monday. As with any warming event, there is a high level of uncertainty as to where, when, or even if this scale of avalanche activity will occur. You may not get a lot of feedback from nearby slopes before a large natural avalanche occurs. When planning your travel, consider that this is one of the times when an 'improbable' avalanche might actually occur. Consider each slope you might cross, including the complexity, potential size, and consequences of a large wet loose or cornice fall avalanche. If you're traveling in avalanche terrain today, have a safe "escape plan" in case you need to pull the plug on your initial plan.

Observers reported natural avalanches in the Old Chute on the upper mountain on both the 17th and 16th, including one that caught and carried a person. On the 16th, an NWAC observer found wet snow below 7,500ft that became unsupportive at low elevations. 

We have limited backcountry observations from 3/18, but Mt Hood Meadows reported thin crusts formed overnight (approximately 1 cm thick) over wet grains. These crusts quickly broke down with direct sunshine. Wet and sloppy snow produced minor avalanches within the ski area boundary but forced the closure of some terrain by 2 PM.

If you head out, let us know what you find by submitting a public observation here! 

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