Bulletin d’avalanche

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Mon
Alpin
1 · Faible
Limite forestière
1 · Faible
Sous la limite
1 · Faible
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 4 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Mild temperatures and a saturated upper snowpack set the stage for very shallow wet avalanches on steep slopes.  If you see recent evidence of anything large enough to injure you, the danger may be higher than forecast. Consider all sagging cornices prone to failure, giving them appropriate distance.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Unlikely
    Taille
    1

    Above-freezing temperatures and cloud cover should continue to create saturated surface snow conditions. So far the snowpack seems to be handling the mild weather gracefully. In general, you should be alert for shallow wet avalanches that can entrain surface snow. Debris from similar very small avalanches on Saturday can help you calibrate the terrain features of potential concern, such as extreme terrain or terrain traps. Poor overnight refreezes several nights in a row add some uncertainty to our forecast and if you see any signs of avalanches that could bury you, dial back your terrain selection by reducing your exposure to slopes 35 degrees and steeper.

    Cornice failures over the week serve as a good reminder that remaining overhanging cornices may fail at any time. Reduce your exposure to these on the slopes below.

    Example: Loose wet avalanche in saturated surface snow.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Spring-like weather and above freezing temperatures have been the rule at Mt. Hood since mid-day Monday except for a brief dip in temperatures Wednesday night.  Temperatures reached into the 40s at most elevations on Saturday and may push above 50F at ski area bases on Sunday. MHM Patrol reported some very small (inconsequential) avalanches over the last several days.

Early in the week, 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. Cornice failures have been reported throughout the week, although activity appears to have trailed off going into the weekend as most of the trimming has already occurred.  The snowpack on the upper mountain seems to have consolidated and these slopes no longer pose a threat.

Last weekend, 8-15 inches of cold dry snow accumulated with the highest totals on the south and west sides of Mt Hood, but mild temperatures this week have helped this snow transition to a more spring-like state going into this weekend.

Régions couvertes