Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Mon
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Continued loading will maintain dangerous avalanche conditions on Sunday. You’ll be able to trigger the largest avalanches on wind-loaded slopes, but still be suspicious of steep, sparsely treed slopes that may harbor a weak layer under the recent snow. Snowpack stability will vary from slope to slope, so increase your safety margins and seek out conservative, well-supported terrain out of the wind. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Low-density new snow will continue to accumulate on Sunday. This refresh may help keep storm snow sensitive to the weight of human. However, what's most concerning is a storm slab failing on a crust that in some cases harbors faceted snow. Be suspicious of any sparsely treed or open slopes with convexities. 

    The January drought crust is incredibly inconsistent across the terrain - so your standard snowpack tests and test slopes may paint the full picture. Approach terrain with caution and choose appropriate terrain for the high level of uncertainty that currently exists.

    (2/1/2025)

    An intentionaly triggered storm slab triggered a larger persistent slab in the west south zone on Saturday. This persistent slab, propagated the entire width of the feature. It failed on facets over a thin crust. ENE, 6200ft, SS-ASc-D2-R3-O, 20-24 in deep, 200 ft wide.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Continued light snowfall and strong W/SW winds will keep wind slabs ripe for human-triggering. You can trigger smaller soft slabs of wind drifted snow, but expect these slabs to be denser and thicker as you climb above 6000 ft. Some of these wind slabs, especially the hard slab type above 6000 ft, could break in surprising ways if they fail on facets above or below a crust. 

    The largest wind slabs will lurk on the leeward side of ridges, below cornices, and on mid-slope rollovers due our high winds. However, forecasters also found these slabs on atypical west aspects on Saturday. As you move around the compass rose, use visual clues and use your ski pole to probe around for stiffer pockets of drifted snow. 

    Recent loading should help keep your terrain selection simple on Sunday; continue to avoid large wind drifted slopes especially if you notice shooting cracks or recent avalanche activity.

    The MHM Pro Patrol triggered large avalanches in wind loaded terrain on Saturday. 

    NE @ 6900 ft

    Photo: MHM Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Sunday is shaping up to be another cold day around Mt Hood. If we’re lucky we may be greeted with several new inches of low-density snow to refresh some tracks from Saturday. 

Avalanche professionals in the Heather Canyon and the Pea Gravel Ridge area found a reactive snowpack above 5500 ft. The Mt. Hood Meadows Pro Patrol reported triggering numerous large hard slab avalanches in wind-drifted snow during avalanche mitigation work. One of these avalanches even broke up to 7 ft deep and propagated widely in heavily loaded alpine terrain ( NE @ 6900 ft). NWAC forecasters traveling on Pea Gravel Ridge also reported shallow, reactive wind slabs and found the new snow poorly bonded to the late January crust. In snowpack tests they found the new snow failing easily on and below the crust. Notably, this weak-faceted snow showed the ability to propagate with PSTs. 

This is a pretty unique snowpack setup for our region. Multiple long-time avalanche professionals have mentioned that the last time we had a similar snowpack was in 2017-2018, which resulted in 7 deaths throughout the Cascades in roughly a week. You can read the accident reports here to re-familiarize yourself. Needless to say, many professionals are on edge about how the next few weeks are going to play out. 

Let us know what you see by submitting a public observation.

Regions covered