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RegisterApr 6th, 2018–Apr 7th, 2018
Mt Hood.
Dangerous wet snow conditions will develop Friday night and Saturday. Large and destructive Wet Slabs could run naturally. Avoid avalanche terrain if you see slab avalanches in areas of wet snow. Minimize your exposure to large avalanche terrain from above. Expect fresh Wind Slabs to build quickly near and above treeline in the afternoon as the snow level lowers.
Rainfall received late Friday night and Saturday morning will be followed by a cooling trend with snow levels falling to 5500 feet in the afternoon. Very windy conditions will also develop Saturday in the Mt. Hood area. Rain, snow and wind will combine to create dangerous avalanche conditions Saturday.
You can trigger a dangerous Wet Slab avalanche at most elevations through midday. These avalanches may even run naturally. Watch for liquid water reaching buried crusts or softer layers of snow well-below the snow surface as a sign that Wet Slab avalanches could occur. Wet Slabs are dangerous because they are hard to predict, give little warning, and can be very destructive. If you see slab avalanches in areas of wet snowpack, avoid traveling in avalanche terrain. You may be able to trigger smaller Loose Wet avalanches more easily in the same types of terrain where the Wet Slab problem exists. Avoid slopes with terrain traps where even a small Loose Wet avalanche would have serious consequences.
Rain will change to snow Saturday afternoon near and above treeline. Wind and new snow will form Wind Slabs on lee slopes near and above treeline. Visual clues such as blowing snow, fresh cornices, and cracks in the snow all indicate that you could trigger a Wind Slab avalanche.
Large to very large Glide avalanches that naturally release to ground are possible in isolated areas. Use extra caution and avoid stopping near and below snow covered rock slabs where Glide avalanches could occur.
Recent rain and warm temperature have weakened Cornices. Give Cornices a wide berth if traveling along ridgelines as they often break back further than expected. Be aware of overhead hazard if traveling on slopes with Cornices above as they may fail naturally or be human-triggered.
Periods of rain and a rising snowline allowed wet snow conditions to extend to near and above treeline Thursday and Friday. A series of crusts and moist or wet snow exist in the upper snowpack.
There are currently no significant layers of concern in the mid or lower snowpack.
Observations
NWAC professional observer Laura Green was in the Timberline area on Friday. She observed some natural pinwheels in the wet surface snow and small broken cornice chunks, but no recent avalanche activity of note. Snow surfaces were wet on all aspects and all elevations that she traveled on up to 6500'.