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Good morning!

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
	4a-8a	8a-12p	12p-4p	4p-8p	8p-4a
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday

Good morning!

It appears this system is moving slower than forecast. It’s still snowing on Mt. Hood, but the windspeeds are starting to ramp up. We are missing the bulk of the precipitation with this storm, which is a good thing, as we’ll eventually end up in warm air (unlike areas north of us). For comparison, the base of Crystal is 33 right now, with 14” of new. I can only imagine what the top is like… but then again, it’s gusting to 70 at the top and they are closed ‘til tomorrow.

At this point, it looks like we’ll see .75-1.0” of precip today, falling as wet snow at first, then switching to rain by 10am, and ending sometime around 7-10pm. That’s assuming the front doesn’t sag further south than predicted. If it does, then this forecast no longer applies and we get drenched. Winds on exposed ridgetops will approach 80mph. The ski area will see SW wind at 50-60+ starting around 7am and holding through 4pm, when we’ll see a drop to 40-50+. The snow level will rise today to 7000’ or so.

By 4am Wednesday, the snow level will be at 6000’, dropping to 4500’ around 1pm as the front finally pushes through. At this point, models look pretty dry in the morning, but I think we’ll see light precip for much of the day. Winds will be SW 35-45 early, slowing dropping to SW 25-35 by 1pm. However, sometime between 1 and 4, when the front passes, we’ll go a possibly problematic NW 35-45 as the snow level drops rapidly to 1500’ and snow beings falling. We’ll see .4” WV for 6-7” overnight.

Thursday looks mostly dry til midday, with the snow level at 1000’ early, slowly rising to 4500’ around 7pm. Winds will be WSW 15-20 early, rising to WSW 25-35 by 1pm. Precip starts around 1pm, with .5” by midnight, for 4-6” of new snow.

At this point, Friday looks cold with NW wind at 30-40+.

If you want windsurfing, keep an eye on the eastern Gorge today. Southerly flow is not the best for the desert, but there’s a chance of strong wind. Next best chance for westerlies is Sunday, with the possibility of strong east wind Monday and Tuesday.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the link below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til August 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors. If you don’t PayPal, you can send a donation to PO Box 841 in Hood River, 97031.

Enter “Temira” as your referral code

Good morning!

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
	4a-8a	8a-12p	12p-4p	4p-8p	8p-4a
Monday
Tuesday
Tuesday

Good morning!

Sometimes putting the forecast together is like reading a good thriller or mystery novel. This week definitely qualifies At one point, NOAA was comparing the incoming system to this – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Coastal_Gale_of_2007 – system from a few years ago. Fortunately, the comparison is no longer apt, but tomorrow’s system is still going to impact the PNW heavily.

On Mt. Hood today, we’ll see slowly rising snow levels. Currently, the snow level is around 2500’, but it will rise to 5000’ by 4pm and 5500’ by 10pm. Snowfall will be moderate during the day, with .4-.5” water value for 3-5” of new snow. Precip will become heavy after 10pm, likely in the form of snain overnight, switching to rain early tomorrow morning. Winds will be SW 30-40 early, rising to 45-50 by 10am.

At 4am Tuesday, the snow level will be around 6000’, rising as high as 8000’ around 1pm. Total precipitation during the day depends on the exact location where this system stalls, but as of right now, it looks like we’ll get 1-1.5” of rain, while the Washington Cascades get 2-3”+ and the coast range gets 3-8”. Most of the rain will fall before 7pm, becoming light after that. That’s the good news. The bad news, of course, is the wind. We’ll start off with SW 45-55 at 4am, rising to SW 50-65+ at 7am, and holding all day. These are predicted speeds for top of Mt. Hood Express, not for the ridgelines and areas above treeline, where the wind will be stronger.

After light rain/freezing rain/snow overnight, the snow level falls to 4500’ by 7am Wednesday with heavy precipitation. There’s a possibility this could remain freezing rain for a bit. The snow level keeps falling quickly (thankfully), hitting 2500’ by 1pm and 1500’ by 7pm. Total precip will be .5-.75” water value for 6-9” of snow (however, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot more).

If you want windsurfing or kiting, you’ll see 23-26 in the desert today and another round of wind out east tomorrow.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the link below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til August 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors. If you don’t PayPal, you can send a donation to PO Box 841 in Hood River, 97031.