Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Powerful alpine winds have built stiff, hard slabs of wind-drifted snow across upper- and some mid-elevation terrain. Avoid steep slopes with wind-stiffened surfaces. Wet snow instabilities will become prominent as each day passes, especially during periods of sun-breaks or light rainfall. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Strong alpine winds continue to transport recent accumulations into stiff slabs at upper elevations. These hard slabs will likely not provide much feedback before triggering. 

    Look for these slabs on the downwind sides of ridges and canyons, below cornices, and on mid-slope convexities on open slopes. Watch for smooth pillows below ridgelines and cornices as well as on the sides of cross-loaded gullies. Dunes and ripples on the surface are clues that the wind has been at work transporting snow. If you feel the snow surface getting stiffer, it's time to pay attention and steer around steep loaded features. 

    Hard wind slabs sound hollow, like a drum, and behave unpredictably; they can break above you and wider than expected. Cracks shooting out from your skis or machine are obvious signs that you found an unstable wind slab. 

    (1/10/2026)

    Blowing snow was visible across upper elevations and the upper mountain on Saturday. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet snow instabilities will become more prominent and widespread as each day passes and becomes slightly warmer. So far, wet loose instabilities have been slow to materialize, but that may not be the case during sun-breaks or if small amounts on rain decides to fall. When you notice large clumps of snow falling from trees or cliffs and roller balls forming, mark that as a sign that the snowpack is warming and weakening. Pay attention to the terrain around you as sluffs can start in steep terrain above, and carry you into terrain traps below.

    (1/2/2026)

    Small rollerballs show the snow surfaces was a little wet and sticky. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

On Friday, January 9th, four backcountry skiers were caught and carried by a large avalanche while descending near Longs Pass in the Teanaway River drainage. The slide occurred on an S to SE facing slope at approximately 6200ft. One member of the party was not buried. Another teammate was partially buried but injured. The other two individuals were fully buried. During the initial rescue, the team located one of the buried victims, who did not survive. Despite the group's best efforts, they could not pinpoint the fourth member of their team. The party contacted 911 via a satellite device, and Kittitas County Search and Rescue responded to the area on Friday evening. Additional rescue efforts were postponed until daylight. Search and Rescue then returned to the site on Saturday and were joined by NWAC forecasters. The teams were able to locate the remaining victim. Unfortunately, neither of the fully buried skier survived. Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community of those involved in this avalanche accident. S-SE aspect, 6200ft, Avg Depth 2ft, HS-AS-R3-D2.5-O

While temperatures warmed on Saturday, upper elevations remained cold enough for recent snow accumulations to productively drift around in the alpine. Observers reported large amounts of blowing snow across the upper mountain from Mt Hood Meadows to the north side. Thanks to some cloud cover and high winds, warming has been slow to arrive at middle and upper elevations. With this slow warm-up, expect wet-snow instabilities to become more prominent as each day passes.

Approximately 25-30 inches of recent snow rests over the January 3rd crust ( or January 6th crust on south aspects) in the Mt. Hood zone. We saw a few large to very large natural avalanches that likely ran on or above this crust during the stormy period on Jan 6th-8th ( Obs 1, Obs 2). Since the storm ended, avalanche activity and signs of instability have been confined to wind-drifted terrain. To our north,  there have been a few large avalanches failing on the January 3rd crust. If you find yourself in a more far-flung area, particularly on the north side, consider digging out and checking for a weak layer that could exist above a crust 2-3 ft below the surface before engaging in bigger terrain.

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