Mt Hood

Slick surfaces will be the primary hazard on Sunday, so be prepared with appropriate equipment and travel techniques. Otherwise, some danger exists where snow overhead is poorly supported and weak from last week's rain. More uncertainty exists above NWAC forecast elevations, where significantly more snowfall may have accumulated in recent days.

Good visibility over the weekend allowed us to get a better picture of snow coverage on the volcano. Starting between 6000 - 62000 ft, north and east aspects have continuous coverage in many areas. Southerly aspects fare a bit worse, with continuous coverage starting closer to 7000 ft.

The mountain is slippery after last week's rain. An observer in the zone on Friday reported surface thawing below 7500 ft on southerly aspects. On Saturday, an NWAC forecaster traveling on Mt. Adams in the West South zone reported similar conditions. The zone will get less radiational cooling overnight on Saturday into Sunday; however, it won't be as sunny on Sunday. All that is to say, definitely plan to have sharp equipment with you as you travel around on Sunday, and know how to use it. Long, uncontrolled sliding falls on firm, icy surfaces will remain your greatest hazard.

It often takes a few days for the snowpack to dry out after a wet storm cycle. With the unprecedented amount of rain our forecast just saw, there is likely still water flowing through and under the snowpack. This lubricates bed surfaces and creates a risk for isolated chunks of snow to fall off unsupported perches. Pay attention to the terrain above you and don't cross slopes where glide cracks are visible.

Snowpack stability may diverge significantly above NWAC forecast elevations. We suspect that the highest elevations may have received significant snow and rainfall. Photos taken on Friday depict both large wet loose avalanches as well as widely propagating slab avalanches around 9000 ft. We don't know whether any of this instability is lingering, so you will want to make your own assessments as you travel around. Consider your exposure to large, steep slopes if you venture onto the upper mountain. 

With the warm start to the 25-26 winter season, we have less snowpack information than usual to start daily forecast operations. For zones and elevation bands with less snow than needed for avalanche hazard, we will issue a forecast with No Rating. Anticipated avalanche and weather conditions will still be updated daily. NWAC will issue an avalanche danger rating for a zone when enough snow to produce avalanches has accumulated at middle and upper elevations.