Mt Hood

Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected Sunday night and early Monday. The avalanche danger should lower during the day as rainfall comes to an end.    

Moderate to heavy rain should reach up into the above treeline elevation band through Monday morning.  Luckily, the rainfall should quickly ease Monday morning although the high snow levels will stick around.  

This will orient the avalanche type toward wet slab and wet loose on Monday. Rain should quickly load snowfall received earlier in the storm and result in widespread natural loose wet avalanches especially in steeper terrain. Natural wet slabs, mainly on lee aspects near and above treeline, have the potential to be larger and more destructive. Due to low snow cover, the avalanche danger will quickly decrease in the below treeline band at lower elevations. 

On Sunday, light snow along with moderate westerly transport winds accumulated new snow onto lee aspects with rising temperatures leading to inverted new snow layering. Pro-observer C.J. Svela did not find the new snow particularly reactive in White River Canyon around mid-day, but the heaviest warming and precipitation had not occurred yet. Precipitation intensity should increase rapidly Sunday night with quickly rising snow levels.  Rain should reach well into the above treeline elevation band by early Monday morning.  Avalanche concerns for Mt. Hood will be directly related to the incoming storm.   

A generally strong mid and lower snowpack is expected at Mt Hood.