Avalanche forecast

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You can still trigger a reactive slabs on upper elevation slopes and it could be widely propagating. Shooting cracks serve as a reminder to steer around steep and/or actively wind loading slopes nearby. Firm or breakable crusts could make travel conditions more challenging at lower and middle elevations.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Friday proved that (1) there is plenty of snow available for transport at upper elevations; (2) that transport produced reactive and widely propagating shallow wind slabs; and (3) they were easy for humans to trigger with fresh slabs residing above a density change. Moving forward, the degree of slab reactivity depends on how much active transport occurs with moderate winds Friday night, decreasing on Saturday. Come into the day assuming that slabs will be reactive on all steep wind loaded slopes, but you are likely to find that slab reactivity is quickly trending downward as the winds relent and warm temperatures begin to heal the slabs. Although most slab activity will involve deposits above the late January Interface, don't rule out an isolated larger slab in heavily wind-loaded alpine terrain or in isolated areas with weak snow at new/old snow interface. You'll want to use visual clues to help you identify where the wind has been at work. Look for teture, cantilevered cornices, and blowing snow to help you hone in on nearby slabs. As you move through terrain, look for a weaker density interface within the upper foot of the snowpack.  Use snowpack tests and small test slopes to gather information on the reactivity of a potential slab. Cracks shooting cracks serve as a warning that a steep slope nearby might slide.

     

    (1/30/2026)

    Shallow, intentionally triggered wind slab with wide propagation above Timberline. SE aspect, 7500 ft.

    Photo: Ryan Matz

  • Loose Wet

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

    Recent snow hasn't yet received much sunshine and we're expecting filtered sun and mild temperatures on Saturday. When the sun comes out, snow on rocks or cliffs might be the first to shed. If you find less wind affected snow in the alpine, expect a volley of rollerballs followed by shallow wet avalanches releasing naturally. It might also initiate from the snow shedding off rocks. Fortunately, it's still January and the sun has only just enough energy to warm up the snow surface. Once you see the snow surfaces destabilizing, adjust your aspects to more shaded slopes and reduce your overhead hazard.

    Example: Roller balls and small, wet loose avalanche activity on sun-affected slopes.

    Photo: White Pass Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Mt Hood Meadows received 0.86" of water equivalent since Wednesday morning. That arrived as a mixed bag of precipitation types at middle elevations as snow levels fluctuated, but at upper elevations, that mostly arrived as snow, with typical amounts likley in the 4-8" range. Riders in the Timberline area on Friday reported moderate to heavy wind drifting and touchy slabs up to 2 ft deep. 

Snowfall through Thursday ended warm in the evening hours, so most middle and lower elevation slopes have a thin rain crust. We think this will limit wet snow avalanche activity at these lower elevations, but if the crust breaks down, we could be wrong. Take extra time if you encounter breakable crusts. If crusts are firm or slick on Saturday, make sure you have sharps and the ability to arrest a fall before crossing a steep slope.

Leading up to this snowfall, the Mt Hood area had a garden variety of surface conditions. Melt-freeze crusts of varying thicknesses were present on most west, south, and east aspects. Northerlies held onto dry snow surfaces with a mix of isolated near-surface facets, old firm drifted snow, and decomposing crusts. On some north-facing terrain, recent observations have highlighted weak snow surfaces, particularly in wind-sheltered, shaded terrain, and possible weak layers 1-2 ft below the snow surface in these same areas. The distributions of these layers have proven inconsistent, and rain at mid/low elevations will likely dampen remaining facets below the new snow. While triggering an avalanche on these deeper layers is unlikely during this time, it might not be impossible on colder slopes where the wind has built dense slabs over this structure.  The best strategy to deal with this uncertainty is to dig down and see how the new snow is bonding to these old snow layers. 

If you head out in the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation here. 

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