mt. Hood - The Gorge is my Gym

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Good morning!

Mountain Weather Forecast:

Clear, calm and cold through Thursday, at least. Okay, that’s not quite it. Today we’ll see clear skies. Some models still hint at some precipitation and clouds this afternoon, but I’d say the chance is less than 50%, as the clouds on the visible satellite are already breaking apart. winds today will be NW 5-10 down low and NW 20-30 up high, hence the cloud on the top of Hood. Highs today will be right around 32°.

We’ll probably see some low clouds and fog around 5000’ tomorrow morning, with temperatures in the low twenties. Other than that, skies will be clear. Winds early will be NW 20-30, decreasing to NW 10-15 by 1pm, switching to N 10-15 overnight. A temperature inversion will develop during the day, becoming strong by Tuesday morning.

Tuesday looks cold down in the Gorge, with temps just below freezing. The drive up will go through the cold air, with weird weather flats seeing temps in the upper teens. At the mountain, it will be sunny and right around 32°, becoming warmer in the afternoon and overnight. Winds Tuesday will be N or E at 5-10.

Wednesday also looks dry and sunny with temps near 40° at the mountain and 32° down in the valley. Winds will be west at 5-10mph.

Gorge Wind Forecast:

East winds pick up through the Gorge tomorrow, hitting the 25-30 range at Stevenson. Tuesday looks a little stronger, with easterlies in the 30-35 range. The easterlies back off into the low twenties on Wednesday. Friday holds potential for a solid westerly day as high pressure builds at the coast. If the forecast holds for that far out, we’ll also see an excellent day for kiting or windsurfing on the coast on Friday. Surfing looks good through Wednesday, with light offshore wind at the coast.

Mountain Biking Report:

Syncline is a little muddy but great. The first section at Post is a little muddy, but Seven Streams is quite rideable, with just a couple of muddy spots. I imagine the upper sections of Post are even better, with tacky conditions the rule. If Post is good, Hospital has to be better. Get out and ride!

Have a great day today! Pray for snow…

Temira

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Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.

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Good morning!

Middle-of-the-road weather is a forecaster’s worst nightmare. Okay, the worst nightmare is unchanging weather, but weather patterns that fall at the center of the bell curve are no fun to forecast. That said, at least this forecast contains a few inches of snow and an incoming frigid air mass, so it’s off to the side of the bell curve in at least one department.

Mountain Weather Forecast:

Clear skies on Mt. Hood this morning quickly give way to clouds as the edge of a cold front swings through the Northern Oregon Cascades. We should see light precipitation start between 10am and 1pm today. The snow level starts off around 6000-6500’, and falls quickly to 5000’ by 10am, falling to 4500’ by 7pm. Winds today will be W at 20-30 early (stronger above 6000’), increasing to WSW 30-40 by 11am and switching to W 30-35 by 7pm. Total precipitation between 10am and 4pm will be .25-.5” WV, for 4-5” of snow, mostly falling after 4pm.

Saturday looks cloudy, with intermittent light snow flurries during the day. We’re looking at .1-.25” WV, so 1-2” of additional snow. The snow level tomorrow will hold at 4000’ all day. Winds start off WSW 10-15, going to W 10-15 by 7pm.

Sunday looks partly to mostly cloudy with occasional snow flurries accumulating around 1” of new. The snow level will be at 3000’, dropping to the surface (at least in the Gorge) by 7pm as very cold, dry continental air flows into eastern Oregon and Washington. Winds Sunday will be NW at 10-15.

Monday looks dry and cold, with high temps on Mt. Hood around 15 degrees. The snow level will be at the surface. Winds will be E at 10-20. The forecast looks dry and cold through the middle of the week.

Cross your fingers for a gradual warmup at the end of next week, because this is the kind of setup that can result in a massive snow or ice storm in the Gorge.

Gorge Wind Forecast:

There’s not much happening in the wind world until Monday morning, when a very cold, very dry air mass pushes into eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. The high pressure associated with that air mass will set up easterlies around 30mph in the Gorge through Wednesday, at least. However, temperatures will be below freezing. Accompanying high pressure in the NE Pacific will keep the Gorge wind from going nuclear. Along with this setup, we’ll see offshore wind and sunshine at the coast for excellent surfing conditions.

Temira