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11/15. Mt. Hood Snow. Gorge Wind. Fun Events.

It’s fall now, and that means it’s time for the snow forecast!

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Your forecaster.

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Random Morning Thoughts

Gratitude Month, day 14: Can I be grateful for my view again this morning (minus the freeway, of course)? Because this morning’s sunrise was gorgeous (and distracting) as I wrote the forecast. No? Okay, today I am grateful to my friend CC for always being there to listen, for being there with a crass reply to any TMI I could throw at her, for being my friend. Oh, and for always having a Diet Coke for me. I miss you, lovely lady.


Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

(Very Chatty) Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Mother Nature’s idea of fun and excitement will be visible on Mt. Hood today, with a diffucult-to-nail-forecast kind of day. It’ll be windy, that’s for sure, and lots of moisture will fall from the sky, that’s for sure, but the form of the moisture, well… in contrast to what I said yesterday, I now think it will be a mix. And by saying that, I should ensure that it stays all snow, all the time, leaving me looking like an a**hole!

The snow level starts at 2000′ today, rises to 2500′ by 1pm, 5000′ by 7pm, 6243′ by 10pm, and then falls to 4000′ around 1am. Without getting too technical, I’ll say that some things have changed in the models since yesterday to lead me to believe we’ll see rain or freezing rain between 7pm and midnight, maybe not that whole period, but likely (80%) for part of it. So, we’ll see .4” water value (WV) between 1pm and 7pm, for 3-5” of snow. Then another .8” falls between 10pm tonight and 4am Saturday, for a mix of snow, rain, and freezing rain, for 3-6” of accumulation. Wind for this period will be W 30 this morning, ramping up to W 50-60 from 7pm onward.

On Saturday morning, the snow level will be down around 2000′, hovering between 1500′ and 2000′ all day. Terrain-enhanced snowfall (aka “orographic”, my favorite word), will give us .6-.8” WV by 4pm, for 6-9” of new snow. We’ll see another .2-.4” overnight into Sunday, for another 2-4”. Wind will be W 50 early, dropping to WNW 40 and holding all day.

Sunday looks partly cloudy with intermittent orographic snow. The snow level will be 2500′ early and 5000′ in the afternoon, with .1-.3” WV for 1-3” of new. Wind will be W 30 all day.

Monday looks dry, but the jet stream takes an unfavorable turn on Tuesday, coming out of the SW where the palm trees grow. Temps at 5000′ look to rise into the 40’s, with significant rainfall. The long-long range forecast currently suggests another such event next Friday, but that’s a very long way out to be placing bets.

Plain Old Local Weather

Get your dry-weather fun in this morning, because rain is going to start around noon and continue through tomorrow morning. We’ll see showers tomorrow morning, tapering off in the afternoon, and we’ll see partly to mostly cloudy conditions Sunday. Today looks mild, with highs right around 50, but tomorrow will only make it into the low 40’s. Sunday looks like mid-40’s.

Gorge Wind Forecast

Three days of wind in the forecast, Johnnies. That’s pretty special for November. This morning’s gradients are .11 (pdx-dls) and .04 (dls-psc), and that’s a good start to the day, especially since there’s actually some wind out there along with the gradient: 20 at Stevenson, 23 at Doug’s, and 15 at Arlington as of 7am. Expect the wind to ramp up, becoming 30+ from Doug’s to Arlington between 10am and 2pm. Get it early, because it will likely fade in the afternoon.

But don’t worry: as the low pressure system causing today’s rain and mountain snow moves east tonight and tomorrow, we’ll see another morning round of 30-35 east of The Dalles. Again, you’ll want to get it early. Sunday brings west wind at 15-18 through the whole Gorge.

Through this whole period, you can expect up-and-down 15-20 from Stevenson to Hood River and periods of 24-28 at Mosier. Sheesh. That’s a lot of wind words for the middle of November!

Road and Mountain Biking

Good-bye 44 Road trails. Again. How many times do you think I’ll say that this fall?


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Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events

Tonight, of course, is the Gala Fashion Show at the Hood River Inn. Doors at 6pm. Show at 7pm. It will most likely be sold out, so you will most likely need to be downtown ticket hunting today if you’d like to go.

Coming up tomorrow, Ranger Jimmy T has the annual Charley’s Trail work day in honor of Charley LaVenture. Meet at the top of Charley’s Trail at 9am. After that, Dirty Fingers has a sale and bike swap, so round up all your unused bike gear and dump it on Mitchell’s floor. That’s 3-7 on Saturday, and also involves crock pots in some manner, so perhaps he’s feeding you?

Also tomorrow, the HRVHS soccer team plays in the state championships at 10:30am. You can go to Hillsboro to cheer on our awesome youth players, or you can watch the game live online here.

Finally, it’s HUMPfest in Portland. I’ll let you do your own Googling. Tickets, as always, are sold out, but it is possible to buy them from scalpers in line. Or there are a few “rush” tickets available if you’re willing to stand in line outside the theater for an hour.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

Categories
Forecast

Thursday. 11/14. Mt. Hood snow. Gorge Wind. Fun events. Yay!

It’s fall now, and that means it’s time for the snow forecast!

This is Temira.
Your forecaster.

Use this forecast. Tell your friends. And if you or your friends think this service is awesome/useful/saves you gas money/makes your life more fun, make a donation by clicking the sun below. Is more fun worth $49/year? $20/year? Donate what it’s worth to you, but $12 minimum gets you on the email list (with occasional giveaways) for a year. Thank you for your support, and have fun today!

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Random Morning Thoughts

Gratitude Month, day 14: Today I am grateful to 2nd Wind for hooking me up in various ways over many years. Thanks, Pepi and Erica and 2nd Wind staff. So excited for my new skis!


Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

(Very Chatty) Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

I saved writing the snow forecast until the end this morning because it’s a fascinating one, at least starting tomorrow. Today, Thursday, looks pretty boring: the snow level starts at 6500′ and drops to 2500′ by 1pm when flurries start. We’ll see .1-.2” water value (WV) at most, giving us (most likely) just a trace of new up to an inch or two. Wind will be NW 15-20 today.

The sky should clear (briefly) overnight, allowing the freezing level to drop to 1500′ by Friday morning. The next system hits around 10am, with strong wind and lots of moisture. Now, this is where things get interesting: We’ll be in NW flow, but we’ll be on the warmer south side of this low, and models are insisting we’ll see a brief warmup with the snow level rising as high as 6000′ overnight.

So, we start with the snow level at 2000′ Friday morning around 10am when the precip starts. It holds at 2000′ through 4pm, and then rises to 5500-6000′ between 10pm and 1am, before falling to 2000′ on Saturday morning. Looking at the 700mb temps, I think it’s going to stay cold enough to remain snow, even if the temp touches freezing or just above. Between 10am Friday and 4am Saturday, we’ll see at least 1-1.5” WV, for 10-13” of new snow. Wind on Friday will be WNW 20 early, rising to W 40 around 4pm, W 50 at 7pm, and W 50-55 overnight.

Saturday’s models are in conflict over the amount of moisture we’ll see. The sounding model calls for clear sky. The precip model calls for 1” WV of orographic snowfall with the snow level around 1500′. I’m going to split the difference for now and call it .5” WV for 4-7” of new snow, tapering off in the afternoon. Wind on Saturday will be be WNW 45 early, dropping to WNW 35 midday and holding through the evening. Sunday looks clear and cold and windy.

As of yesterday morning when I spoke with the folks at Meadows, they were still okay with people hiking and skinning this weekend. Remember that once they start slope prep, hiking is done.

Now, I know we’re all excited about this blizzard, but the extended models are still showing us right in the path of a Pineapple-fueled jet segment starting next Tuesday. I hope they are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Very wrong.

Plain Old Local Weather

It’s not a bad start to the day today – partly cloudy sky with a mix of high clouds and low clouds. The cloud variety we see this morning will be joined by some sprinkles this afternoon, likely just after noon. Not a downpour, mind you. Sprinkles. And rainbows. Tomorrow starts off dry, but a cold, wet, and windy downpour starts around 10am and continues through the evening. Saturday looks partly cloudy, cold and windy with a slight chance of showers. If you live in the upper valley, be prepared for a chance of snow Friday night and icy roads on Saturday morning.

Gorge Wind Forecast

Good morning wind Johnnies! It’s going to be a fun few days if you can stand the cold. A W .07 gradient starts the day today, and that will pick up as a low pressure system moves to the east side of the Cascades. Get yourself some 24-28 east of Mosier this afternoon. Strongest, steadiest wind should be at Doug’s/Rowena/Lyle and the Maryhill stretch of the river. Expect gusty 13-15 near Hood River.

Friday looks strongest in the morning, and strongest furthest east, with 25-29 at Arlington. On Saturday, get yourself another round of eastern Gorge 26-30. The eastern Gorge wind on Friday and Saturday should be accompanied by gusty 13-15 in the western Gorge.

Road and Mountain Biking

Go ride your mountain bike today, because tomorrow’s system is going to take out Post Canyon (mud), Whoopdee (mud), and Knebal/8-Mile (snow). And… next week is looking very, very wet, meaning Post isn’t coming back any time soon. As Chris V-T would say, “You need to ride your bike more.” Sage advice. Take it.


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Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events

Tonight is the NWAC fundraiser at the Mazamas Center in Portland. It’s also, apparently, HUMPfest in Portland. Tomorrow night, of course, is the annual Gala Fashion Show at the Hood River Inn, benefiting the Hood River Christmas Project. This is the biggest party of the year (500 people or so), and you don’t want to miss it. Tickets will sell out. They’re available at many downtown shops.

Coming up Saturday, Ranger Jimmy T invites you to celebrate the life of my old coffee buddy Charley LaVenture by working on Charley’s trail in Post Canyon. Meet at the trailhead at 9am. From 3-7 on Saturday, Dirty Fingers is having a bike swap and sale, so bring your used bikes over and see if you can’t earn some cash, just in time for ski season. Speaking of ski season, this weekend is Ski Fever at the Portland Expo Center.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira