Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

 Very stormy conditions serve as a reminder of the dangerous avalanche conditions developing on steep open slopes at middle and upper elevations. Your greatest risk of triggering a large avalanche will be on wind-loaded lee slopes where avalanches will propagate readily on Saturday's crust. Seek trees and lower-angle slopes to reduce your risk.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2

    Wind slabs will build on typical sides of ridgelines as consistent W winds productively transport snow as it falls throughout the day. Slabs could be large in favored areas, such as below fresh cornices, upper elevation bowls, and in typical avalanche start zones. Assuming Mt Hood picks up 12" of new snow with moderate to strong winds, Sunday is a good day to let the storm do its thing and stick to sheltered and lower elevation slopes. If you insist on going up high, choose simple terrain less than 35 degrees.

    Example: heavy drifitng along Pea Gravel Ridge. Wind slabs are building rapidly on the steep slope pictured.

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    Storm slabs could take you for a ride in sheltered terrain. We're expecting high snowfall rates during the day on Sunday and this will lead to mid-storm instabilities. Use test slopes and quickly isolate columns as you ascend to gauge reactivity. When in doubt, stick to supported slopes less than 35 degrees. 

    Example: A storm slabs failing on a mid-storm instability.

    Photo: Jeff Tarshis

Avalanche Discussion

Around 0.6" of rainfall early Saturday likely reset our snowpack at all NWAC forecast elevations on the south side of Mt Hood. This likely washed out the pockets of colder faceting snow observed earlier in the week. Therefore in these high-use areas, you should focus on the 12/7 crust and snow/instabilities above it moving forward. If you find yourself in terrain without a crust (potentially on the northeast side of Mt Hood?), then slabs could involve recycled powder that has been faceting on middle elevation N and NE aspects and may propagate more widely than you expect, resulting in increased risk. You should adjust your terrain selection accordingly.

By 3 PM on Saturday, Mt Hood had 1" of wet snow atop a refreezing crust. Snowfall Saturday night and Sunday will be colder, higher-intensity, and much easier for moderate to strong winds to transport. Adjust your mindset and terrain selection to a widespread slab avalanche problem.

Early Season hazards are still abundant and will easily worsen the consequence of any avalanche. After an extended stretch of high-pressure last week, ridgelines and south-facing slopes may be more exposed and rockier than in late November. Consider this as fresh snow and drifts thinly veil these potential hazards. Lower elevations have plenty of rocks, creeks, and downed trees to navigate along with blown-out snow bridges from the rainfall. Upper elevations have crevasses and bergschrunds that are thinly bridged or still fully open. Give yourself extra time to navigate these hazards. 

The photos in the gallery illustrate the landscape before the recent storm. 

If you get out, we'd love to know what you see. You can submit an observation here!

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