Wednesday: Snow everywhere! Incoming powder!

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Good morning, neighbors! We’ve got chains required this morning on I-84 from Troutdale to Hood River and all the way up/down 35. Reports have the road “choppy from chains”. Other locations and roads do not yet have reports, most notably SR-14, where NaCl is the deicer of choice. Maybe if I’d slept later, I’d have more information, but you’d probably already be at work, meaning the information would be less useful!

Quick note about the weather setup. A massive blob of high pressure is still hanging out in the Pacific. It’s so big I was able to put the entire Weatherbell logo inside! Anyway, this means that storms, rather than coming from the W, are coming from the NNW. This results in colder systems and repeated opportunities for low-elevation snow. More on this some other time.

Okay, on to the forecast. We have another round of model disagreement this morning as another low pressure system is forecast to drop south along the coast. Here’s a question for contemplation: Does it really matter if we get another inch or two of snow tonight given that the roads are a shit-mess both here and in the city? No, but it’s still fun to try and forecast it!

So, we’ll have a dry day with snowy and icy roads in all directions (except up and down – there are no roads in the sky, yet, and as far as I know, there are no tunnel roads below us, although a tunnel under the Columbia to subvert the Port of Hood River would be AWESOME). A low drops down along the coast this evening setting up the possibility for another round of light snowfall starting around 8pm. Portland could see 1-3” down to river level, and the Gorge could see 1/2” to 1” all the way east to The Dalles. If you’re driving to Portland today, you’ll find east wind at 30-35 this morning near Male Genital Rock. Penis.

Snow should stop falling by 10am Thursday. While the snow will stop falling, it will not stop making the Gorge look even prettier than usual! Temps may rise above freezing Thursday, but will drop below freezing Thursday night for very slick roads.

While models indicate a low-level Nothing cloud Friday morning, they also indicate thin high clouds, which could result in a f*****g spectacular sunrise if you get above the Nothing. With temps forecast to be in the 20’s Friday morning, roads will remain very slick. Hakkapeliitta studded tires, yo. Get yours now!

Heavier precip moves in around 1pm on Friday. As of right now, it looks like that will fall in combination with west wind. Temps should rise above freezing along the Mighty Columbia. At river level, the weather will likely be cold, damp, and complaint-worthy. Reframe this as cocoa-in-front-of-fire time, and you’ll be happier. Above 500-1000′, snow will fall. Lots of snow. The snow level will pop up to 2500′ Saturday and fall back to 500-1000′ Saturday night. Again, lots of snow will fall. As if that wasn’t long-range enough, another low pressure system is forecast to drop along the coast next Monday night or early Tuesday morning. If this happens, the likeliest result is another round of snow for those city slickers on Monday night. Let’s keep a close eye on this one, okay? Safe travels. -TATAS

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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

I think that you’re going to like this snow forecast. There’s over a foot of dry, light, fluffy powder on the mountain this morning, and there’s a lot more in the forecast. Not only is there more snow in the forecast, but it’s high quality snow that’ll fall down to low elevations. Not always your house, but possibly at times. Skibowl customers and staff are going to be very, very happy this week!

For Wednesday, the mountain will be partly cloudy until the evening when light snowfall arrives. Models disagree, with some saying zero snow and one saying a couple inches. The snow level will be 0′. Temps on the hill will be in the single digits. Wind will be NE 10 in the morning, NW 10 in the afternoon, and N 15-20 overnight.

Light snowfall Thursday morning gives way to mid-level clouds and sunbreaks. The free air freezing level will be 0′ early, 500′ in the afternoon, and 0′ overnight. Just a trace of new snow will fall. Wind will be N 15-20 early, NNW 20 in the afternoon, and N 20-25 after midnight.

Friday starts off with high clouds and a pretty sunrise. A few snowflakes may fall in the afternoon. The snow level will be 0′ early and 500′ in the afternoon and overnight. No accumulation. Wind will be NNW 25 early, NW 35 in the afternoon, and WNW 40-45 overnight.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday all look quite snowy. I’ll broad-brush it for now. Snow level 1000′ Saturday with 6” during the day and 8” overnight. Another foot of snow falls Sunday, and another foot into Monday. Sunday currently looks quite windy, not windy enough to entirely shut down resorts, but windy enough to impact lift speeds.

Random Morning Thoughts

Sometimes snow can be a pain in the butt. It might be a pain in the butt for you this morning. It’s certainly going to impact my 12 minute drive to my internship. On the other hand, dang is it beautiful in the Gorge right now. I’ve been thinking that for the last 30 minutes. Feeling it, actually.

I could take a different approach and spend all this time worrying about how the snow is going to impact my commute later. But that would be living in the future, creating stress for myself in the now. We do this all the time. It may not feel like it’s by choice because it’s such a deeply ingrained habit.

With effort, though, we learn that we can choose differently. Choose more wisely. Instead of worrying about the future, we can choose to take at least a little time to enjoy something amazing in the present. I know some of you are worrying right now. I invite you to focus on something different for the next 60 seconds (perhaps the pretty snow outside your window). Your mind will try and worry. Notice it, say hello to it, and gently, kindly turn your attention back to the beauty that’s right here, right now.

This won’t necessarily make all your stress go away. It might provide a moment’s relief. It will help create a new habit of mind. The more you do this, the more likely it is that your mind will automatically make a different choice than worry. May you be at ease. Have an awesome day.

Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist, but I am seeing clients at this time at Comprehensive Healthcare in White Salmon. In the meantime, I am your weather forecaster. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, and consult with your actual therapist about your mental health issues. One other thing: I plan to keep doing this forecast indefinitely. Forecasting and counseling are both deeply meaningful and nourishing to me.

Gorge Wind Forecast

For Wednesday, there will be east wind at 30-35 near Rooster Rock this morning with E 10-15 this afternoon. Thursday starts with E 10-15 and turns calm after 1pm. Friday starts with light west wind and picks up to 10-13 in the western Gorge and 18-23 east of The Dalles. The Hood River to Mosier stretch will likely see calm wind or very light westerlies. Saturday looks like W 22-25+.

Gorge Weather Forecast

It’s mostly cloudy out there this morning, and today should be partly cloudy. We may see up to 1” of snow tonight, but models disagree. Temps will be in the mid 20’s early and the mid 30’s in the afternoon. East wind. No rainbows. A few snowflakes may fall on Thursday followed by mostly cloudy sky. Temps will be in the mid 20’s early and mid 30’s in the afternoon. Light east wind turns calm in the afternoon. No rainbows. Friday starts off cloudy. Snow early quickly turns to mixed precip in the afternoon. Snow level 500-1000′. Moderate west wind. 32% chance of rainbows. Temps drop back below freezing Friday night for icy roads.

For weather specifically directed at travel through the Gorge, please visit Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.

White Sprinter Van of the Week

White Sprinter Van map of the world!!!

Road and Mountain Biking

Well, so much for mountain biking season! Everything is covered in snow and will likely stay that way through next week. If you have a fat bike, this is your time to try it out. But please, don’t ride in exposed areas – freeze-thaw cycles will make the trails delicate and susceptible to damage.

Upcoming Events

It’s Wednesday. There’s community yoga, free or by donation, at FISH Food Bank in Hood River at 10am. There’s community meditation at Trinity Natural Medicine at noon. There’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory at 5:30pm and Zumba at the St. Francis House in Odell at 6pm. There’s by-donation YogaFaith (Christ-centered Yoga) at Pure Yoga in The Dalles at 6:45.

Click here for the full events calendar.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira