There are still bands of showers moving through the Gorge this morning after constant rain last night. 1.3” of water equivalent fell at Meadows, for a coating of snow from the base area to the top of the mountain. NOAA has issued a Winter Storm Warning, calling for approximately 3-4’ of snow between now and Tuesday. I don’t know if that’s enough snow to get the mountain open, but it’s going to be enough snow for you to earn some early season turns somewhere.
It’s going to be quite windy (25-40mph+) in the mountains over the next several days, so do be prepared for avalanche danger in wind-loaded areas. Granted, we’re starting out with a nice warm (relatively) storm, so it’s going to be a fairly stable snowpack, but wind speeds will be in the “perfect” range to heavily load lee slopes.
As for the wind on the river, I just don’t think it’s going to happen today, as the strong storm off the coast takes its time moving across the state. Best chance for wind will be tomorrow in the eastern desert, but the setup is not ideal. We’ll likely see gusty, chilly 20-25 out east.
Finally, it’s going to be pretty muddy on the trails today. If you can skip Post, where the exposed clay surface damages easily, please do. You’ll have more fun riding at Syncline or Hospital Hill, both of which handle the rain much better.
Or better yet, go boating. The White Salmon is reportedly still around 1.6 feet, but the Hood is rising fast and is currently at 3.1 feet. The Klickitat is currently quite low at 772 cfs.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
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