Sunday: windy everywhere today… big snow on Tuesday for Mt. Hood.

The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best wind forecast for the Gorge.

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The Forecast

	4a-8a	8a-12p	12p-4p	4p-8p	8p-4a
Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
Sunday 1500′->9000′->3500′
Monday 3500′->8000′->1000′
Tuesday 1000′->1500′->0′

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Very windy weather is forecast for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday along with decent snowfall Monday night into Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday will be a full-on blizzard on the slopes. The tricky part of this will be running lifts as wind speeds and direction hover around NW 40, which is right on the edge of shutdown territory.

Let’s look at Sunday. Prior to dawn, wind speeds were strong enough to ensure many lifts were not going to run. That wind backed off a little around dawn, but the forecast remains troubling. The free air freezing level Sunday starts around 1500′, rises close to 9000′ (temps 0C) around 4pm, and falls back to 3500′ overnight. No snow is forecast during the day, and just a trace is forecast overnight. Wind: NW 35 early, NW 40 mid-morning, NW 45 in the afternoon, and NW 35+ overnight.

Monday starts out clear up high with clouds to 6000′ and adds snowfall in the afternoon after a warm day. It’s also possible orographics could drive a brief snowy period early in the morning. The free air freezing level will be 3500′ early and 8000′ in the afternoon. The snow level falls to 4000′ in the evening and crashes to 1000′ near Mt. Hood overnight. An inch or so of snow is forecast early in the morning. That’s followed by a multi-hour dry period. It’s possible orographics could squeeze some drizzle out of this situation midday. In the afternoon, snow starts up. Overnight, models call for 0.4” water equivalent (WE). Given the very strong west wind, we’re likely to pick up more than the expected 4” of snow. Call it 4-7”. Wind: NW 35 early, NW 45 (lift-stopping) mid-morning, WNW 55 in the afternoon (again, problematic), and W 55 falling to W 45 overnight.

Tuesday will be a full-on blizzard with strong wind and very heavy snowfall thanks to orographics. The snow level will be 1000′ in the morning, 1500′ in the afternoon, and 0′ overnight (near Mt. Hood). Models call for 1.1” WE during the day. That’s going to be dry, light, fluffy, wind-affected powder. Orographics will enhance that. Call it 11-16” new snow. Overnight, moisture disappears, and 1-3” additional powder is forecast. Wind: W 45 in the morning (doable for lifts), NW 30 in the afternoon (questionable), and NW 10 after midnight.

Much colder weather (teens) is forecast for Wednesday under cloudy sky with light snowfall. Morning wind at NW 10 fades to variable to 10 for the rest of the day. We could see sunshine and will see very cold weather on Thursday. Next system: Sunday.

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Gorge Wind Forecast

Strong westerlies are forecast for the next three days. If you’re tackling them, dress warmly and keep an eye on your buddies in case someone breaks down. Sunday’s early gradients were 30.33/30.22/30.12, for .11 and .10. That’s enough gradient for almost anywhere in the Gorge. Light rain falls west of Mosier after 1pm, so take that into account. Morning wind will be gusty 22-26 at most locations with less, perhaps 16-20, between Hood River and Doug’s. Afternoon wind rises to 28-33 from Avery to Boardman, or perhaps near Rowena. River flow is 120kcfs, river temp is 38F, and high temp forecast is 46F. Monday starts with 21-24 from Stevenson to Swell, 15-18 from Hood river to Doug’s, and 25-29 east of the Dalles to Arlington. Afternoon: 26-30 from Stevenson to Swell, perhaps Hood River or Mosier. 15-18 from Lyle to Doug’s. 28-33 out east to Boardman. High temp: 48F. Tuesday starts with 25-29 all through the Gorge and fades as the day goes on. Your best bet will be to stay west of Biggs. High temp: 44F. The wind turns easterly on Wednesday afternoon as cold air surges in from the northeast.

Jones, Sauvie Island, Coast – Done for the Season

Hood River Weather Forecast

Mostly cloudy sky this morning stays that way and maybe adds a little drizzle this afternoon. Temps will be in the mid 40’s all day. Strong westerlies. 59% chance of rainbows. Monday will be drizzly most of the day with an exception mid-afternoon. Temps will be in the low 40’s early and upper 40’s later. Strong westerlies. 98% chance of rainbows. Tuesday ill be rainy. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and mid 40’s later. Strong westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Light snow is possible Wednesday.

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.

Local-ish Events

Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know!
Regular weekly events: NK Studios in Bingen has a donation-based yoga class at 7:30am every Tuesday. Ferment’s Tuesday night 4-mile walk/run is at 6pm. There’s meditation with monks at 5:15pm (an hour) and 6:30pm (30 minutes plus a talk) at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon. At 7:15am on Wednesdays, there’s a run from the White Salmon Bakery. At 7am on Friday morning, there’s a run from Pine Street Bakery. On Fridays at 2:30pm, there’s a free meditation and stretching class at Yoga Samadhi. There’s a weekly group paddle to the Event Site on Sunday at 11 am followed by a free pint at the fire pit at Ferment. That’s the “Paddle n’ Pint”. Also: Wednesday Paddle Sprints at the Event Site at Noon.

Cycling

If you ride in the mud, you’ll do significant and permanent damage to the trail bed. Be thoughtful about your riding choices. Also, it’s winter. Be prepared to turn around due to freeze-thaw mud. If it was below freezing the night before your ride, don’t ride trails that are exposed to the open air. Those trails will have freeze-thaw conditions, and you’ll do major damage. Consider gravel riding! If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.