Author: Temira

Meet Temira,
your Gorge and Mt. Hood forecaster

For almost 30 years, Temira (they/them) has been making the most of what the Gorge has to offer: riding river swell on a foil or windsurf board, carving fresh lines through the snow, and cycling all the gravel and pavement and trails. This is Temira’s playground, their gym… their life’s work.

That’s why in 2006, Temira took it upon themselves to create the most accurate, hyper-local weather forecasts possible. Inaccurate predictions had left too many fellow adventurers caught off-guard and in harm’s way. Temira was determined to change that. Today, Temira’s forecasts have become an essential resource for thousands of skiers, snowboarders, wind sports enthusiasts and travelers through the Gorge. With their guidance, you can plan ahead, time your sessions perfectly, and stay safer on the water, snow, and trails.

But the story doesn’t end there. Temira also authors the TATAS Facebook page – the Gorge’s premier source for microclimate forecasts. When winter storms, extreme heat, or other hazardous conditions (avalanches on SR-14 and I-84, for example!) threaten, this community lifeline becomes a vital resource for locals and visitors alike, helping to keep everyone safe.

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Hi skiers and snowboarders! Another foot of snow has fallen at Meadows and Timberline over the last 24 hours. Teacup: no grooming today, and probably sloppy! If you want today’s fresh tracks, get on it. Temps will slowly warm today, and the snow will switch to rain this afternoon. Could be worse – the rain looks far from torrential. We’ll keep a little rain early Wednesday, but most of the day will be dry. Warm, dry, intermittently sunny weather sticks around through Saturday morning. We’ll be back to rain, then snow for the second half of the weekend and to start next week. The roller coaster ride continues…

For Tuesday, get it as early as you can. The snow level rises from around 4000′ this morning to 8000′ this afternoon, 8500′ overnight, and then falls to 6000 after midnight. The snow we had last night is dense, and the snow we have today will be denser, but hey, there’s a lot of it! About 0.4” water equivalent (WE) is forecast during the day today. Call that a couple inches of snow (after this forecast comes out) followed by a quarter inch of rain. Models hint at a brief break in the weather this evening. Short-lived that’ll be! Another 0.6” rain is forecast tonight, but with very strong west wind after midnight, we could exceed that total. Wind: W 25 this morning turns to SW 10-20 mid-morning and then builds to SW 40-60 this evening. After midnight, when the cold front passes, we’ll have W wind at 60mph. If that lasted, we’d have no lifts on Wednesday, but it’s not supposed to last.

On Wednesday, the snow level falls from 6000′ to 5000′ and then rises overnight to 11,000′. Prior to dawn, we’ll see the rain switch to snow and then stop, probably by the time lifts are loading; about 0.2” mixed precip is forecast in the morning, prior to 9am or so. With very strong westerlies in the cards, we could see double that, but we’re unlikely to see much snow… maybe an inch or two of wet snow prior to the sky clearing. Yes, we’ll have sunshine on Wednesday. Snow level/freezing level: 6000′ early, 5000′ briefly around dawn, and then warming to 8500′ in the afternoon and 11,000′ overnight. At least that’ll keep the snow surface soft during the day! Wind: W 60 (wow) early, W 45 around dawn, W 30 midday, and SW 10-20 in the afternoon and evening.

Thursday looks sunny and warm in the morning with high clouds in the afternoon. The free air freezing level will be 11,000′ in the morning and 10,000′ in the afternoon with max temps in the low 40s. It’s worth noting that clear sky overnight combined with the long hours of darkness will likely result in the snow refreezing overnight. Wind: S 10-20 early, SW 15-20 in the afternoon, and SW 10-20 overnight. Warm, dry weather continues through midday Saturday. Models give us precip on Saturday afternoon into Sunday. Looks like temps will be right on the edge for Saturday afternoon, but we’ll probably see snow on Sunday. But then again, that is way out into the future. Things could change! Enjoy the fresh tracks this morning!

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hi friends! Soaking wet easterlies today are followed by westerlies tomorrow and easterlies from Thursday on. Bonus for the west wind tomorrow: sunshine and 50 degree temps! Tuesday will have none of that. It starts with pressures of 30.13/30.23 for an easterly gradient of 0.10. Iwash was reading 30-35 when I woke up and Stevenson 17-20. The wind rises to 25mph at Stevenson and holds at 30-35mph at Iwash all day long. Add in pouring rain. River flow over the last 24 hours was 89-159kcfs, river temp is 45.86F, and high temp forecast is 43F.

On Wednesday, a front swings through and ridging quickly builds behind it. What’s that mean? We have the potential for a brief bout of west wind. Driving preemptively would be smart. We’ll have gusty 15-18 from Stevenson to Swell for a few hours in the morning. Between Hood River and Doug’s, the wind is probably going to stay rather light. Out east: a brief period of 24-27+ is possible, strongest east of Maryhill, and probably strongest out near Arlington. Definitely drive preemptively for this one. In a fun twist, the west wind will bring 1) sunshine and 2) 50 degree temps. After 1pm, the wind drops below 15mph, and perhaps below 10mph, as high pressure builds. Thursday brings back the easterlies: 35-40mph at Iwash all day and 25mph near Stevenson. High temp: 45F and partly to mostly cloudy. Have fun out there! Fingers crossed for those westerlies!

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 for a detailed weather forecast.

Rain all day. Temps start in the upper 30s and rise to the low 40s. Easterlies. 0.1% chance of rainbows.

Wednesday will be rainy early then partly cloudy. Temps start in the low 40s and rise to the low 50s. Moderate westerlies in the morning. Light later.85% chance of rainbows.

Thursday will be mostly cloudy and dry. Temps start in the mid 30s and rise to the mid 40s. Light easterlies.0% chance of rainbows.

Stay Connected with Local Events!

Want to know what’s happening in and around the Gorge? Check out my curated calendar of local outdoorsy events!

Local-ish Outdoorsy Events Calendar

Know of an outdoor-related local-ish event? Let me know! If you don’t tell me, I don’t know about it!

Cycling Update

Trails have been a mix of frozen, hoar-frost (unrideable), and freeze-thaw. When it’s wet and muddy, or when there are freeze-thaw conditions, please don’t ride, or you’ll do significant trail damage. Then peeps have to fix your mess rather than building new trails. Nobody wants that! Everyone wants new trails. Be a good steward, and pick a different activity

Remember: E-bikes are not allowed on USFS non-moto trails. They are allowed on moto trails.