Oregon Public Broadcasting

Upper elevations in the Cascade mountains face extreme danger from avalanches over the next couple of days.  Pete Springer reports.

Mark Moore is the director of the Northwest Avalanche Center in Seattle.

He says strong winds along with warming temperatures are making upper elevations on mountains like Mt. Hood quite dangerous.

Mark Moore: “Thursday night substantially increasing danger becoming extreme above 4000 feet and high below—gradually decreasing danger late Thursday night or early Friday.”

Moore says these conditions make avalanches “certain” at upper elevations in the backcountry throughout the Cascades.

Mark Moore: “Backcountry travel in avalanche terrain should be avoided and travel confined to lower angle terrain well away from avalanche path run-outs.”

Eight snowmobilers in British Columbia were killed by avalanches last weekend.

And last winter, 52 people were killed by avalanches in the U.S. and Canada.