Friday: weseterlies, easterlies, and a shot at the aurora borealis

The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best wind forecast for the Gorge.
Support it with a contribution!

Thank you for using this forecast. Writing it takes 60-120 minutes a day; I can only keep it going with your generous financial support. Make a contribution or subscribe and get it in your inbox with bonus material. What’s that cost? Not $99 a year. Nope. Not $49. Contribute $19.99 or more, and you’re on the list for a year. People are added to this list on Thursday and Sunday. Thanks for your patience! Click below to contribute and keep the forecast going for everyone, nearly every day.

Credit card payments use this button

Click here to use your PayPal
Venmo: @theGorgeismyGym
Snail Mail: Temira Lital, PO Box 841, Hood River, Oregon 97031
(note: I am not a non-profit entity. The only way to accept credit cards with a user-defined amount is to use the ‘donate’ button. Thanks for understanding!)

Auto-renewing subscription. New! Awesome!

The Forecast

Your favorite beach	Dawn Patrol	9am- 11:30a	11:30a- 3pm	3pm- dusk
Today’s Gorge Wind – these are ranges for the average speed, not a predicted wind range. =)
Friday 8000′->10000’*
Saturday 10000’*->9000′
Sunday 9000′->8000′

Gorge Wind Forecast

There’s moisture in the forecast for today, Monday, and the middle of next week. As of now, it looks too warm for that moisture to fall as snow at Timberline Lodge or the base of Meadows. It’ll happen eventually, and in the meantime, the rain is good for the dry soil.

Friday starts with rain on the slopes. The sky clears in the afternoon. The snow level will be 8000′ this morning, 6000′ this afternoon, and the free air freezing level (FAF) under clear sky will be 10,000′ overnight with sub-freezing temps at various low elevations thanks to cold air in the east and warm air in the west. Total rainfall today after sunrise will be about 0.2”. Wind: NW 20-25 in the morning, NW 15-20 in the afternoon, and E 25-30 overnight.

Saturday will be clear all day. The free air freezing level (FAF) will be between 9000′ and 10,000′. No precip. Wind: E 25-30mph all day and all night. Sunday looks mostly clear in the morning, high overcast midday, and partly cloudy in the afternoon before becoming clear again overnight. The FA will be 9000′ during the day and 8000′ overnight. No precip. Wind: E 25-30 early fading to E 15 in the afternoon and S 10-20 overnight. Next precip is Monday, when models predict 0.2-0.4” rain.

Mt. Hood Weather forecast

Last chance for westerlies for a while is today. We then head into a three-day stretch of strong easterlies. Looking at Friday morning, we have a cold front swinging through. Offshore high pressure builds behind it, but it’s complicated by a California offshore low that’s settling in farther north than earlier model runs predicted. We start the day with gradients of 0.15 (pdx-dls) and 0.03 (dls-psc). Let the rain stop and the wind settle out, and you’ll find at least 21-24 from Stevenson to The Dalles most of the day. Given the setup, it’s likely reality will outperform models, but I’m not going to get you amped up with a bigger prediction than low/mid twenties. After 2pm, the western Gorge fades to 14-17. The eastern Gorge will be 13-16 early and will fade to light/variable. River flow is 72,200cfs, river temp is 57F, and high temp forecast is 59F.

The wind switches to easterly overnight as high pressure drops south from eastern BC and that low hangs off the coast. Saturday brings easterlies at 40mph at Rooster, 30-35mph at Stevenson, and 20-25mph at Viento. Areas east of Viento join in at inconsistent 10-15mph in the afternoon. High temp: 55F. Sunday starts with 40mph at Rooster, 30mph at Stevenson, 20mph at Rooster, and light wind to the east. The wind drops about 10mph in the afternoon in the western Gorge and picks up to 5-10 east of Viento. High temp: 54F. Easterlies Monday morning at 30mph or so fade in the afternoon. Enjoy!

Coast, Jones, Coast

Done until spring, unless there’s an obvious Coast or Sauvie’s or Jones day.

Hood River Weather Forecast

Cloudy, rainy weather this morning turns dry and sunny this afternoon. Temps will be in the mid 50’s early and upper 50’s later. Moderate to strong westerlies fading to moderate in the afternoon. 72% chance of rainbows. Saturday will be sunny. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and mid 50’s later. Moderate easterlies. No rainbows. Sunday will be sunny. Temps will be in the mid 30’s early and mid 50’s later. Light easterlies. No rainbows.

Looking for a complete Columbia Gorge forecast? Looking for more humor in your weather? Obscenities? You’re looking for my TATAS: Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.

Cycling

SDS, Kreps, and DNR lands have all reopened. Regulated use closure has ended and motorized use is allowed on moto trails. Be aware of recent snowfall about 4500′ or so and plan your rides accordingly.