Friday. 12/13. Mt. Hood snow forecast, Gorge wind, and maybe another Arctic blast?

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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Yesterday I mentioned something that frustrates me about forecasting: day-to-day inconsistency in precip amounts in the models. Blowing the forecast frustrates me more. I thought for sure we’d see all snow, all the time at 5000′ overnight. No such luck. It was a mix of snow and freezing rain up there, meaning the 3” of new snow is nothing more than base-building sludge. Ride the groom today for the best conditions.

It was cloudy early, but the sky has already cleared, and should remain that way today. Expect the free air freezing level (FAF) to be at 5500′ this morning, dropping to 3500′ late this afternoon. Wind will be NW 30 early, dropping to NW 20 mid-morning and switching to NNW 25-30 late this afternoon.

Saturday may start off clear, but quickly becomes high overcast. The FAF will be around 10,000′ all day. Wind will be W 20 in the morning, slowly picking up to W 30 in the afternoon and evening. We may see a few sprinkles overnight Saturday into Sunday.

Sunday starts off cloudy, with a few sprinkles possible. The sky will clear mid-morning or early afternoon. The FAF will be 10,000′ all day with wind out of the west at 30-35.

Next chance for precip is Wednesday into Thursday, and it looks like it will fall as snow.

Plain Old Local Weather

I was pretty mad last night when it started snowing in Bingen at 4pm. I predicted freezing rain, and I wanted freezing rain. And then I got freezing rain, and I was bummed, because scary things happen on the road during freezing rain.

We seem to be done with that, and can expect low clouds and above-freezing temps in the Gorge the next few days. Upper 30’s today and tomorrow, upper 40’s on Sunday, and colder on Monday.

If you liked this last Arctic blast, keep an eye on the end of next week, as models are predicting a repeat. Long way out to be trusting models, but it’s worth watching.

Gorge Wind Forecast

Those Liquid Force folks were out testing kites again yesterday in sub-freezing weather. If you need a kite that performs well when coated with ice, buy a Liquid Force? We’ll see light wind this morning, picking up to W 10-15 this afternoon. Saturday starts with east wind at 10-15, switching to west wind at 5-10 in the evening. Sunday looks light.

Road and Mountain Biking

I took my Canfield Brothers Yelli Screamy (the best 29’er hardtail EVER) out yesterday for a road ride. I couldn’t find my clipless pedals, so I rode with (the best pedals EVER) my Canfield Crampon flat pedals for an hour. End of shameless promotion of my favorite bike EVER.

I guess my point is that you don’t need a cross bike to go riding right now. The roads are full of gravel, but a hardtail 29’er will save you. As for other places to ride, well, with temps going above freezing, trails are going to be very muddy. Give them a few days, and maybe try riding Post, which should stay frozen under the trees for a bit.

And remember, there is no gravel on the Petersburg Loop in The Dalles.