Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Low avalanche danger does not mean No avalanche danger so use care around extreme terrain features and terrain traps.  Areas with freshly wind-drifted snow below ridgelines are places where you might trigger a very shallow avalanche. Rollerballs and even isolated small wet loose avalanches may occur on steep sunny slopes.  

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There's not a lot of avalanche potential out there, but a few inches of new snow blown around by the wind could fail on leeward ridgelines or steep, rocky terrain above treeline. These shallow wind slab avalanches won't be big enough to bury or injure you, but you still need to use care around extreme terrain features or terrain traps where the consequences of a small avalanche become more serious. 

    Probe for wind-stiffened snow and watch for shooting cracks as you travel. Use small test slopes to gauge the bond of the new snow to the latest surface crusts.  Wind slabs are more likely at upper elevations, but keep an eye out for wind-drifted snow at middle elevations. 

    (2/25/2025)

    Uptrack test shows cracking in wind drifted snow. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

A fast moving front blew through Tuesday, dropping about 0.25" of water equivalent/2-3" of new snow along with strong to even extreme W winds.  The sun had popped out on the Meadows side of the mountain in the afternoon.  On Monday, the weather was a tale of two mountains: drippy, cloudy, and wet conditions on the south and west side and partly to mostly sunny conditions with the odd shower on the east side. Timberline picked up 2" of new snow through Monday morning with just a skiff in the Mt Hood Meadows area. Breezy NW wind were starting to ease as of Monday afternoon.  No new avalanches were reported on Monday. 

A wet and warm storm cycle wrapped up early last week and we transitioned to a drier but continued mild weather pattern through the first half of the weekend with some light rain and snow on Sunday.  Recently formed surface crusts are likely thicker at upper elevations and likely thinner and less supportable at mid-elevations.  

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