Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

The storm snow is settling out, but you can still trigger large, avalanches in wind-loaded terrain on Tuesday. Expect these slabs to be stiffer, deeper, and more consequential as you climb above 6000ft. Consider steering around steep slopes that look textured and drifted. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Decreasing wind speeds will help wind slabs become more stubborn on Tuesday. But don’t take this as a green light, as these slabs will be large enough to kill you in specific wind-loaded terrain above 6000 ft. These wind drifted pockets will range from soft to hard depending on your elevation and exposure to the wind. Down in the middle and lower elevations, these slabs will be softer and may fail 1-2 ft deep. But above 6500 ft, slab depths may be several feet thick and propagate widely. 

    You’ll commonly find these wind slabs on the down-wind side of ridges & canyons, below cornices, and scattered through the alpine. There won’t be much for blowing snow on Tuesday, so look for surface clues to help you identify where the wind has drifted snow. Ripples, dunes, and pillow-like slabs are all signs that the wind has been at work. 

    While using small test slopes may be helpful at middle and lower elevations, they may not be representative of the thicker, denser drifted areas that you’ll find above 6500 ft. In these upper elevations, just consider steering around features that appear loaded. You can seek out scoured terrain or use ridgelines to reduce your exposure.

    Shooting cracks, hollow-sounding snow, and collapsing are obvious signs of instability that you should not ignore. 

    (12/30/2024)

    The crown of a very large (D3) avalanche in upper Newton Canyon. 

    7000 ft, E aspect. 

    HS-N-R3-D3-U

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Clear visibility on Monday allowed NWAC forecasters to get a good post-storm visual of the terrain around Newton Canyon. We found a nice display of D1- D2 soft slabs that were triggered during avalanche mitigation work in lower Heather Canyon. Moving higher, we saw a few large (D2) naturals in upper Heather and Clark and one very large (D3) avalanche in upper Newton Canyon. All of these avalanches failed in heavily loaded alpine terrain.  Check out the photos in the gallery for more info.

The storm train has finally concluded for Mt. Hood and the southern Washington volcanoes. Backcountry travelers enjoyed partly sunny skies and deep snow on Monday. Tuesday morning should offer similar conditions, but look for increasing clouds and wind as another smaller system favors the volcanoes. This system could bring 4-8” on Tuesday night and into Wednesday. 

Our current clear skies and calm winds may be the perfect combo for surface hoar development.  If you head out on Tuesday, let us know what you see at the surface by submitting a public observation. 

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