| Snow level | 4a-8a | 8a-12p | 12p-4p | 4p-8p | 8p-4a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 5500′->8000′->7000′ |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Saturday 7000′->2500′ |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
| Sunday 2500′->4500′->4000′ |
|
|
|
|
|
Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Good morning skiers and riders! Just when you thought it was safe to take off your studless snow tires (I did), Mother Nature is stepping in with massive snowfall. Today’s your last chance for not-snowy weather for a while. Models just keep upping the snow totals – we’re now looking at up to THREE FEET of new snow from the incoming storm system.
Friday will be clear in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon. Very light rain moves in after midnight. The freezing level will be 5500′ in the morning, 8000′ in the afternoon, and 7000′ after midnight. Wind: SSE 15-25 for the 24 hour period.
Light rain Saturday morning switches to snow mid-morning. Snowfall and wind ramp up overnight. The snow level will be 7000′ to start the day, 3500′ mid-morning, 4000′ in the afternoon, and 2000-2500′ after midnight. About a quarter inch of rain is forecast prior to the switch. Daytime snowfall will be 0.2” water equivalent (WE) for 1-2” dense snow. Overnight, 0.4” WE is forecast for 4-5” lighter, fluffier new. But wait, the wind will ramp up and add orographic assistance; morning wind will be S15-25 then SSE 10 then variable to 15. In the afternoon, it turns solidly west at 30mph and ramps up to WNW 50 overnight. That has the potential to add 25-50% to the snowfall prediction for the overnight hours.
Sunday looks like full-on storm skiing. The snow level will be 2000-2500′ in the morning, 4500′ in the afternoon, and 4000′ after midnight. During the day, 1.0” WE is forecast. Call that 8-10” dense snow. Overnight, another 1.2” WE is predicted. That’s 10-13” additional “base-building” snow. Except the base is already there from a long season of accumulation. Now, let’s look at the wind: WNW 50 in the morning doesn’t drop much. By afternoon, it’ll be W 45. That holds overnight. If this forecast doesn’t change, Meadows will only be able to run Mt. Hood Express. Timberline’s operations will also be affected. If you go, bring a shovel to dig yourself out of the parking lot. One last thing: wind of that strength and from that direction has the potential to add 30-50% to snowfall predictions.
Heavy snow continues on Monday, as does the wind. Another foot of new snow is in the forecast with the snow level around 4000′. Light snowfall Tuesday morning gives way to a sunny afternoon. Sun sticks around Wednesday. Temps warm up Thursday and stay warm for a while. Whoa. That’s some April storm.
A poem:
Was that forecast helpful?
Did it save you time or gas money?
Did it make your life more fun?
Then please make a contribution.
Writing this takes me an hour or two a day.
Without your support, I can’t keep it up.
Keep the forecast going.
Subscribe or donate.
And share my forecast with your friends!
 |
 |
 |
|
Not ready to subscribe? No problem – please share this forecast with all your friends too!
Or try a month for free!
Gorge Wind Forecast
Hi friends! We have quite the interesting forecast this weekend. It definitely involves lots of wind, but there are some complications due to rain. But don’t worry – the west wind continues all the way through Tuesday.
Let’s take a look at Friday. Not much to see here other than a gorgeous day for dock starting and flat water paddle-ups. Max wind will be at Stevenson mid-morning. You’ll find easterlies at 15-20 for a couple hours. The wind dies off mid-afternoon and switches to westerlies. We may see 10-13 from Stevenson to Swell with calm wind to the east. The wind may not even get that strong. River flow over the last 24 hours was 130-161kcfs, river temp is 53.42F, and high temp forecast is 69F.
On Saturday, an approaching cold front drags very chilly air into the west side. A low pressure system rises northward from the desert southwest. High pressure hangs off the California coast. Why do we care? Because all this action is going to 1) make the wind gusty and 2) drag in a bunch of rain. Models suggest we’ll have rain west of The Dalles until at least 2pm. Drizzle may fall as far east as Arlington through early afternoon. This suggests you’ll want to wait until mid-afternoon or later for best results. All that said… the day starts with gusty, rainy 20-23 from Stevenson to Doug’s with easterly flow or variable wind possible out east thanks to a compact low parked in the desert. Afternoon sees things shift around enough for better results. You’ll find gusty 13-16 west of The Dalles with 28-32 from Avery to Threemile. High temp: just 48F for Hood River and 62F for Arlington.
An even more complicated picture is set for Sunday when, incidentally, there’s a DW race from Blalock to Arlington. A large area of low pressure settles in over the Blue Mountains, Columbia Basin, and Idaho. Another cold front approaches offshore. Very strong winds aloft touch down at the surface and drive very strong westerlies. But wait… That big low on the east side swings a bunch of rain around it, and the strong west flow creates rain in the western Gorge too. Models suggest moderate to heavy rain all the way from Stevenson to Boardman until early afternoon. The rain then stops between Hood River and Rufus but continues east of Blalock or Arlington for another hour or three. Despite all this rain, it’ll be windy. Expect gusty 28-32 from Stevenson to Boardman right off the bat. Once the rain starts backing off, say mid-afternoon, the wind rises to 30-35+ from Lyle to Rufus and then spreads to Arlington then Threemile. In that same time period, the Hatch should rise to gusty 26-30. High temp: 53F for Hood River and 54F for Arlington.
Gosh, that’s a lot of words. Monday looks steadier with 27-30 out east and 17-20 in the west. While the deterministic model isn’t as enthusiastic about Tuesday, the ensembles sure are. Count on that for another moderately big day on the river. Fun stuff. I’m going on a retreat tomorrow out of town, but I’ll figure out some way to get an update. See you on the river!
 |
Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Forecast – On vacation ‘til summer unless otherwise noted
Very basic Hood River weather forecast. Don’t plan your life around this. You really should read Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook
A brief Nothing early this morning gives way to clear sky then high clouds. Temps start in the upper 30s and rise to the upper 60s. Light and variable wind. No rainbows. Saturday will be rainy all day with showers in the evening and rain again overnight. Temps start in the mid 40’s and only rise a couple of degrees. Moderately strong westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Sunday will be rainy in the morning and partly cloudy in the afternoon. Temps start near 40 and rise to the low 50s. Strong to nuking west wind. 99% chance of rainbows.
Local-ish Events
Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know!
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
If you want to mountain bike, get it now. There’s a ton of rain coming, and it will be too muddy to ride without causing damage to the trails. Cows are out on Hospital Hill. NO DOGS. That means you, all of you, even your dog that’s [insert adjective]. No dogs. Do not risk access for everyone. No parking at the corral. Whoopdee flowers are in full bloom. Hospital Hill and Syncline have ticks, oaks, and flowers. Columbia Hills is full of flowers and open to your bike. Definitely got a Tack Alert going on out there right now – lots of good dirt. It’s trail-building season. Get on the HRATS mailing list if you’d like to help out. If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.
Sprinter Van of the Week!
Click here for the Sprinter Van map of the world!!!
Have an awesome day!
