2024 as a great hiking season. I was up on the mountain right up to the middle to the end of October. However when the snow came, it came hard. Since that first storm the mountain has stayed covered in its winter coat. Just as the snow looked like it was getting a little thin, another storm comes in. The temperatures on Mount Hood have also stayed fairly cool. The snow came quickly to Mount Hood in 2024!
The hiking season ended abruptly. Equally quickly, the ski season started. Most of the resorts opened before Thanksgiving and the opportunity for skiing and snowshoeing started earlier this year than most.
There were no light dustings that melted away – just straight into winter. Indeed we have already had snow as low as Rhododendron. Although only for a day or two.
Interestingly, the lowest extent of snow this year looks a little less than last year. Maybe over all the summer was not as hot on the mountain? If you look at the comparison below, you’ll notice that there is just a little more snow / ice on Mount Hood in 2024. The satellite photo from 2023 is a little earlier in the season, from the middle of September, so there could have been even a little more melting in 2023.
