The Gorge is my Gym

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Good morning!

Whew. The weekend is killing the forecast. If anyone out there wants a low-paying job filling in on the weekend, that would be great. And hey, if anyone out there is interested in an okay-paying job occasionally filling in on the radio next summer, shoot me an email. You must have some familiarity with wind sports and wind forecasting, and you must be able to articulate. Reliable individuals only. Oh, wait, did I just ask for a reliable wind junkie? 😉

Moving on to the forecast…

It’s snowing in the Gorge, yet again. Frozen precipitation will continue over the next couple of days as strong offshore low pressure systems combine with cold, high pressure desert air to keep Gorge temps right around freezing.

We’ll see intermittent snow showers down to river level today. Tomorrow looks dry, with a good chance of sun on the mountain and an even better chance of The Gloom in the Gorge. We’ll see a few more inches of snow Wednesday morning, before a switch to rain Wednesday afternoon.

Up on Mt. Hood, there will be more snow, with true snow levels around 2000-2500 feet. Isn’t that strange how I combine the words “Gorge” and “snow” and you frown and I combine the words “Mt. Hood” and “snow” and you smile? Today brings 2-3 inches between now and midnight with winds increasing to 20-25mph. Tomorrow looks dry on Mt. Hood, with partly cloudy skies and winds at 5-10mph. Another front rolls in Wednesday morning for a total of 4-6” between 7am and 3pm with winds at 15-20mph.

In wind news, it’s windy. If you’re nuts, feel free to head down to Rooster or Stevenson today and tomorrow for 30+mph. If you’re hoping for lighter easterlies combined with rain, hold out until Wednesday for 25-30 fading to 10-15 by afternoon.

Models are showing a warming (but drying) trend towards the end of the week, but they’re also inconsistent, so I’ll hold off on forecasting anything past the 72 hour mark (always a good call).

There’s a full lunar eclipse tonight starting at 9:27pm. You won’t be able to see it from the Gorge, due to the inversion gloom, but there’s a chance you’ll be able to see it from elsewhere in Oregon or Washington. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year (well okay, all days are 24 hours, but the solstice has the least daylight), when we celebrate the return of daylight!

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 button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til November 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.

The Clymb: free membership.
Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.

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Good morning!

There’s nothing like a Thai coffee first thing in the morning. Concentrated caffeine, concentrated sugar and cardamom are good for the brain at 5am. If you have any suggestions for other things starting with “C” that I could use at 5am, that would be great.

Of course, the caffeine and sugar in my system are no guarantee that the forecast will be correct, or even that I’ll get the correct days in the forecast. That said, here goes…

We’re in the calm before the storm right now. Literally. Mt. Hood sees clear skies and light wind this morning, with clouds filtering in around midday. Early morning westerlies gradually swing around to east, building to 15-20mph by 10pm.

Easterlies on Mt. Hood build into the 30-35mph range overnight, possibility creating some issues with lifts tomorrow morning. Of greater concern than the cold-pool driven east winds is the wind shear generated by the front coming over the top of the cold air. There’s a possibility of very strong downslope winds between 5am and 11am. Otherwise, we’ll see strong east winds switching to westerlies in the 25-30mph range by 10am.

Snow starts on the hill around 5am, with a total of 8-10” falling between 5am and 7pm. We’ll see a short-lived break in the weather in the evening, but then snow picks up again around 10pm, falling all night long, for an additional 4-6” of accumulation. Light snow keeps falling all day Sunday, with a stronger period of snowfall for a few hours midday, for another 3-4” of snow. Windspeeds on Sunday will be down from Saturday, with 10-15mph all day.

If you’ve been meaning to try new skis or a new snowboard, head to Meadows on Sunday for the NW Demo Tour. It’s free, and there will be a ton of gear for you to try. Also, if you’ve been waiting for Cooper Spur, it’s open now through the end of the holiday season (and a few days a week after that). Yay for the little resort that could!

If you live in the Gorge, here’s your hometown forecast: East gradients through the gorge will strengthen today and a cold pool of high pressure will deepen today, setting up trouble for the Gorge. Snow starts falling around 5am tomorrow, and with a total of .3-.5” of water value predicted, we’ll see 4-6” of snow during the day tomorrow. It looks like snow will continue in the Gorge through Sunday, with another 3-5” falling. Watch for fun and excitement between Cascade Locks and Rooster Rock, where a full-on blizzard, due to easterlies in the 35-45+mph range, seems likely. Remember, if the freeway closes, you are free to take your snowmobile for a ride down I-84. (And please don’t quote me on that when OSP comes after you on their sled)

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 button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til November 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.