Oregon ? A National Guard C-130 circled Mount Hood on Friday in search of three missing mountaineers, but struck out, its commander said.

Rescue workers defeated by three storms this week hoped for a break in the weather today and were planning what one called a major push by teams climbing up the mountain’s upper elevations.

They had hoped the C-130 flights would give them information about where to search on the 11,239-foot mountain, which authorities closed to everyone except for rescue crews today to eliminate possible false clues from tracks or cell phones.

They were hoping to find a hint of two Texans and a New Yorker missing since one called family members Sunday to report that the party was in trouble and two members were descending for help.