Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

A poor overnight refreeze yields the potential for small wet avalanches and cornice fall. Steer around steep, rocky terrain features particularly at upper elevations if you find wet snow you sink into. Remember that the snowpack on the upper mountain has the potential to produce larger wet avalanches before crossing slopes exposed to these hazards.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Temperatures should remain near or above freezing over the next 24 hours and we anticipate a poor overnight refreeze at all elevations. Shallow surface crusts may quickly break down with daytime heating. You could find saturated snow 12" or deeper. Generally, this would spell significant concern, however, after 4 days featuring a mix of rainfall and warm temperatures the upper snowpack has mostly adjusted to these milder conditions. Keep in mind that you can still trigger a small wet avalanche in isolated areas anywhere you sink in past your ankle. 

    Isolated areas generally above NWAC forecast elevations could produce larger, more deeply gouging avalanches running into NWAC forecast terrain. Keep this potential on your mind before crossing under larger avalanche slopes as the day heats up.

    While conditions remain mild, assume any overhanging cornice may be weakened and prone to failure. Give these features space along ridgelines and don't linger on the slopes below them.

    (3/24/2022)

    Take a moment to step off your mode of travel to see how deeply you are plunging into the snow. If you are sinking in past your ankle, start to think about wet avalanches. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Spring-like weather has returned to Mt. Hood. Except for a brief dip in temperatures Wednesday night, Mt. Hood temperatures should remain mostly above freezing since mid-day on Monday.  This caused a poor refreeze Wednesday night with saturated snow up to 12" deep reported at Mt. Hood Meadows on Thursday. Small wet loose avalanches were also reported in rocky above treeline terrain. Nearby in the White River drainage, the warmth weakened small recent cornices to the point of failure. Ridgelines and are melting out.

Early in the week, several natural avalanches were observed up to D2 including cornice-fall triggered wind slabs and wet loose avalanches on easterly aspects in White River Canyon between 5800-7400ft. Shallow, but long-running wet loose avalanches were also visible on the east face of Mt Hood in steep rocky terrain above the Newton Clark Glacier. 

Cornices have been weakened and continued to fail after a smild weather.  They can fail at any time and trigger avalanches on the slopes below.  Until cornices melt back or we have a solid refreeze, minimize your exposure to slopes with large overhanging cornices. 

Last weekend, 8-15 inches of cold dry snow accumulated with the highest totals on the south and west sides of Mt Hood.  While we're well past the period of peak natural avalanche activity, keep in mind that areas and elevations that received more recent snow can produce larger wet snow avalanches.   

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