Bulletin d’avalanche

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Sat
Alpin
3 · Marqué
Limite forestière
3 · Marqué
Sous la limite
2 · Modéré
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 3 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Above the snow-line, steer around pockets of fresh wind drifted snow. Leeward slopes at upper elevations will hold the largest and most dangerous slabs. Below the snow-line, rain on snow will continue to destabilize the snowpack, so consider moving to less steep terrain if you notice rollerballs or wet loose avalanches.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Likely
    Taille
    1–2

    New wind slabs will start forming as rain transitions back to snow. These wind drifted slabs are expected to be largest and most reactive above treeline and in heavily loaded spots near treeline.

    Look for these wind drifted slabs on the leeward side of ridges, below cornices, and near rock & cliff bands. Using visual clues such as blowing snow or looking for slopes that appear textured or ‘fat’ will help you identify slopes of concern. Surface textures like ripples, dunes, or pillow-like slabs are all clues that the wind has been at work. Shooting cracks are obvious signs that you found an unstable slab of drifted snow. 

    You can easily avoid this problem by sticking to slopes out of the wind zone or traveling on scoured surfaces and ridgelines. 

     

    Steer around pockets of drifted snow that appear textured or 'fat' like in this photo. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Possible
    Taille
    1–1.5

    Warm, soggy conditions will help maintain the wet loose avalanche hazard. These wet loose slides likely ran their main course on Thursday, but you should still consider these at elevations where you notice rain or wet snow falling.  Steer around steep slopes if you notice active rollerballs/pinwheels or fresh wet loose avalanches. 

    Example of wet loose avalanche activity from a rain event in 2019.

Avalanche Discussion

Well, it's official, spring is starting to do its thing. On Thursday, the Mt Hood area saw warm, soggy conditions and rain extending to 6500’. Snow levels are expected to drop on Friday as a cold front pushes through the region. Although, this won't be that cold, we’ll still be flirting with freezing levels sitting at most trailhead elevations (4500-5000'). So above this, we may see anywhere from 3-8 inches of heavy, wet new snow by the end of the day.

The Mt Hood zone had an active week leading up to this warm-up. A massive spring storm brought 50-60 inches of snowfall paired with consistent strong SW winds. As a result, backcountry observers reported a round slab avalanche activity following intense periods of precipitation, while the Meadows patrol received some impressive control results up to D3 in heavily loaded pockets. Check out the gallery for more information. 

Régions couvertes