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Saturday: very, very cold. epic packed powder on the mountain. Blizzard warning in the Gorge.

The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best wind forecast for the Gorge.

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The Forecast

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
Snow level 4a-8a 8a-12p 12p-4p 4p-8p 8p-4a
Saturday
0′
Sunday
0′
Monday
0′->6500′??

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Hello skiers and snowboarders and Nordic folks. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost track of how much snow has fallen on Mt. Hood in the last week. All I know is that I was hanging in the HRM lot in the sunshine looking at bare ground to start the year, and now there’s many feet of snow in that same location. Wondering about conditions? It’s packed powder dreamy. I skated at Teacup on Friday, and it was packed solid and fast. Excellent! Alpine slopes: the same. What will we have for the holiday weekend? Bitterly cold weather and 5-11” of snow on Saturday. Sun and somewhat warmer weather on Sunday (the Teacup Tea Party got moved from Saturday to Sunday), and clear, slightly warmer weather on Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday. Sunshine continues until Tuesday afternoon, when rain arrives. Well darn it. And the long-range forecast keeps temps above freezing for quite a while. It also drags in precip. Fortunately, we now have a substantial snowpack to carry us through. Mt. Hood snowpack is at 74% of the 10 year average. One more thing: it’s going to be very busy on the slopes this weekend. Consider carpooling or taking the CAT bus from Hood River. Also: freezing rain is forecast for the Portland area on Saturday. Consider your plans carefully.

Not much happens on Friday night other than plummeting temps. Saturday starts off wicked cold and high overcast; temps will probably be in the single digits. Around 10am, snow starts up. Models still don’t agree on how much snow will fall – it really depends on where an incoming low pressure system makes landfall, and a little difference in location makes a huge difference in snowfall. Vote for a Manzanita landfall, please. Anyway, let’s call it 2-4” fluffy powder during the day and 3-7” from sunset into the evening. Snow stops falling by 10pm or so. Wind: W 20 in the morning with E 20 at lower elevations. W 5-10 in the afternoon with E 30 below. SE 25 in the evening, and NW 15 building to NNW 25-35 overnight. Bundle up for sub-zero wind chill. Avoid the Gorge – take 26 rather than 84-35. NWS posted a blizzard warning for the western Gorge, and you want nothing to do with that! One final thing… diesel starts to solidify around 0F, and it’s going to be that cold at the resorts. This may or may not have an effect on ops.

Sunday starts off sunny and stays that way. 850mb temps will moderate in response to the incoming low pressure system. Models currently suggest upper teens early and mid 20’s in the afternoon. That said, I’m guessing it’ll be way colder than teens to start the day. Just a gut instinct feeling. Temps are likely to be much, much colder below the inversion; expect it to be chillier at Meadows Nordic, Teacup, and Skibowl. Wind: NNW 25-35 in the morning, NNW 20-30 in the afternoon, and N 15-20 overnight. Sunday is the Teacup Tea Party with free beginner and intermediate skate and classic lessons.

Monday looks sunny all day. Temps will be all over the place depending on elevation. Above the inversion, they are likely to climb above freezing in the afternoon. Below the inversion: single digits to teens. Wind: N 15-20 in the morning, N 10-15 in the afternoon, and W 15 after midnight. Tuesday starts clear and finishes up rainy. Models then hold temps above freezing for quite a while as the west coast transitions back to S or SW flow. Get it now! Enjoy!  

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hi friends! Well, that arctic frontal passage Friday morning was pretty amazing: 30-35 all the way from Hood River to Viento with temps dropping about 15 degrees in a couple hours. Ripping easterlies continue through Tuesday, at least. For Saturday, expect 60-80 at Iwash (Rooster) with 40-50 at Stevenson and 10ish near Hood River. High temp: 12F. Snow after noon. Blizzard conditions. Yup. Sunday morning brings 50-60 at Iwash and 35-40 at Stevenson. Stevenson drops to 30-35 in the afternoon, and Iwash drops to 35-40. High temp: 15F under mostly clear sky. Monday brings 40mph to Stevenson all day with 60-70 at Iwash. High temp: 15-20F under partly cloudy sky.

 

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Hood River Weather Forecast

Clouds Friday night might turn partly cloudy before clouds return Saturday morning. Temps will be in the single digits to start the day and low double digits Saturday afternoon. Snow starts around 1pm with up to six inches for Hood River. Sleet/ice is possible to the west. Light to moderate easterlies (for Hood River – see TATAS for the full forecast). No rainbows. Sunday will be partly cloudy then mostly clear. Temps start around 5 and finish somewhere between 10 and 20. Light to moderate easterlies. No rainbows. Monday will be partly cloudy, then clear, then high overcast. Temps start in the mid single digits and rise to somewhere between 10 and 20. Easterlies. No rainbows. Please do not rely on this recap forecast – read TATAS instead.

Looking for a complete Columbia Gorge forecast? Looking for more humor in your weather? Obscenities? You’re looking for my TATAS: Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.  

Local-ish Events

Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know!

The Teacup Tea Party has moved to Sunday, 1/14. Snacks, tea, and free beginner and intermediate skate and classic ski lessons. Hood River Rotary Night at Meadows is Monday, 1/15. Registration is open for Gorge Ultimate winter league. Sign up here: https://gorge.ultimatecentral.com/e/winter-league-2024 – Teacup has an après ski fundraiser at the Ruins on January 27th. $25. Amayah’s Indian Cafe (Biggs) offers a free meal every first Thursday from 1-4pm.

Regular weekly events:. NK Studio’s by-donation Tuesday morning yoga class is back. Ferment’s Tuesday night 4-mile walk/run is at 6pm. There’s meditation with monks at 5:15pm (an hour) and 6:30pm (30 minutes plus a talk) at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon. The Tri Club is done for the season. At 7:15am on Wednesdays, there’s a run from the White Salmon Bakery. At 7am on Friday morning, there’s a run from Pine Street Bakery. On Fridays at 2:30pm, there’s a free meditation and stretching class at Yoga Samadhi. On Saturday at 9am, there’s a by-donation outdoor group fitness on the 2rd floor deck about Ferment Brewing.  

Cycling

Regarding the trails in general: don’t ride in the mud. You’ll damage the trails. Don’t ride trails if it was below freezing the previous night and is above freezing when you want to ride. Ride gravel. Ride your trainer. Build trails. There are trail builders seeking extra hands on seven additional miles of trail on Whoopdee. Contact HRATS for more information. If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.  

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Have an awesome day!

By Temira

Temira Lital is a recreation and travel weather forecaster based in Hood River, Oregon. Temira uses they/them pronouns. They're also a mental health counselor. Temira bikes, skis, windsurfs, paddles a SUP, swims in mountain lakes, and loves gardening. Most recently they've taken up SUP foiling. Temira is powered by La Croix, protein, and beets.