Oregon ? A cloud bank hugging the flanks of Mount Hood frustrated the air search for two missing climbers on Sunday, a day after their companion was found dead on a glacier on Oregon’s highest mountain.

Rescuers had to bring in a helicopter and airplanes to conduct the search because new snow had created avalanche dangers for crews on foot.

Skies had cleared Sunday morning, but the weather worsened again and the mountain became shrouded by a low cloud during the afternoon. The search aircraft — a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane — returned to their bases. At nightfall, search crews ended operations for the day with plans to evaluate options this morning, said Jim Strovink, spokesman for the Clackamas County sheriff.

The three climbers — Luke T. Gullberg, Anthony Vietti and Katie Nolan — had begun their ascent on the west side of the mountain Friday and were due back that afternoon, but failed to return.