Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Look for dangerous avalanche conditions as new snow starts piling up. Wind-loaded terrain will be the most dangerous and sensitive but use caution on more sheltered slopes once you find over 6 inches of new snow. Simplify your terrain selection once you climb into the wind zone and during periods with heavy snowfall. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    New snow will stack up as the day progresses creating instabilities within the new storm snow and in wind drifted terrain. Expect wind loaded terrain to be more touchy and dangerous.  Slabs will be most reactive during periods of heavy snowfall and later in the day as precipitation rates increase.  

    Some of these slabs could trigger easily if they form over a crust or build on a warming trend that would create upside-down layering. You'll want to monitor the bond of new snow layers using hand shears, test slopes, and stomping on wind-drifted features to check how well the new layers are bonding. Stay alert to signs of instability like whumping, shooting cracks, and recent natural or human-triggered avalanches. Plan on sticking to simple, sheltered terrain, especially once you climb above 6000 ft or once you find over 6 inches of new snow. 

    (12/8/2024)

    Quick hand pits as you travel can give you an indication of slab potential or weak points in the recent storm or drifted snow.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    This storm will bring a slight uptick in freezing levels during the early part of the day, which may create very wet snow or even some rain at lower elevations. Below 5500 ft, be on the lookout for wet surfaces and rollerballs initiating as clues of warming. While most of these wet loose will be small, don’t underestimate wet snow in extreme terrain. They can grow larger as they move further down slope and could push you into unwanted terrain.

    (12/28/2024)

    Steep road banks are a great to observe wet snow instabilities, like these rollerballs and mini wet loose avalanches. 

    Photo: Katie Warren

Avalanche Discussion

Keep your plans flexible on Wednesday as there is a bit of uncertainty about precipitation timing and amounts. The start of the day may not feel that dangerous outside of wind-loaded terrain, but that will likely change as precipitation amounts increase through the day. During periods of heavy snowfall, triggering avalanches in more wind-sheltered terrain will become increasingly more likely. 

The January Drought Layer (JDL) and recent weak layers from our cold snap can be found under 2-4 ft below the surface. This weak layer has proven to be very variable depending on aspect and elevation in the zone. So far observers have found this weak layer to be most concerning on N-E aspects at middle and lower elevations. We haven’t seen any confirmed avalanches on it in the Mt Hood zone, but new snow and strong winds often raise our hackles as forecasters. Be suspicious of this weak layer if you head to more data-sparse areas of the zone like Lookout Mountain or the north side of Mt Hood. 

Its already deep and more snow is coming. Deep snow immersion will be a real hazard for the next few days. Give treewells and creeks a wide buffer while keeping your partners in close sight. 

You can contribute to the avalanche forecast! Submit an observation here.

Regions covered