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Random Morning Thoughts
Wow. Many thanks to all of you for the emails, cards, ecards, calls and texts on my birthday. Thank you for making me feel love that will last for the next 365 days.
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Do I really have to write this forecast? I’d rather go stand in the lift line and talk to people about POWDER! Well, graupley new slightly wind-affected snow. But whatever. It’s deep and it’s fresh, and you should go ride. The snow level will be 2000′ or less this morning, 2500′ midday, 3000′ in the afternoon, and 5500′ this evening. We’ll see light snowfall this morning, increasing after noon, for .3” water value by 4pm and another .4-.6” water value by 4am Friday. Call that 3-4” of new during the day today and another 3-5” overnight, as warmer temps deliver heavier snow. Wind today will be W 35 early, SW 30 early afternoon and WNW 45 late afternoon and overnight.
Friday looks interesting: We start with warmer air coming in over the top of colder air, giving us temps just below freezing between 3000′ and 8000′. This setup will hold through late morning, likely giving us snow to start. Eventually we’ll see a switch to snow mixed with sleet and rain, and then finally a switch to rain through… well, probably through 4am Saturday. So, ride early Friday. We’ll see .4” WV in the morning, for 2-4” of new snow, followed by .4” rain from noon to 4pm and another 1” rain overnight.
Temps will drop rapidly Saturday morning, so ignore the first snow report if it shows rain. We’ll see the snow level fall from 6000′ around 4am to 3000′ by 7am, holding there all day. 1.5” WV falls between 4am and 4pm, for 10-16” of new snow. Yes, you read that correctly. Another 1” WV falls between 4pm Saturday and 4am Sunday for another 10-12” of new snow. Please, please, please don’t let anything change in the models between now and Saturday. This is PERFECT! Wind on Saturday will be ripping: SW 70 early, SW 55-65 during the day, and WSW 70 in the evening. Now… one thing to keep in mind is that lower mountain lifts at our ski resorts are somewhat protected from southerly wind, so it probably won’t be nearly as bad as it sounds. If I were you, I’d ski Saturday.
Massive snowfall continues Sunday morning, but temps rise Sunday afternoon for a switch to rain. You’ll want yourself in the lift line at when chairs start turning Sunday morning, because the earlier you’re on the hill, the more skiing you’ll get before the switch. Bundle up Sunday, because it’s going to be windy.
Gorge Weather
Nobody cares about Gorge weather, because everyone’s headed to Mt. Hood for FRESH POW today. If you do happen to care, today will be in the low 40’s with increasing rain after 1pm along with light to moderate west wind. Tomorrow starts in the upper 40’s and falls to the low 40’s with rain and decreasing westerlies during the day. Saturday looks f’ing windy and f’ing rainy with temps in the upper 40’s early and low 40’s late. Sunday also looks wet and windy. Thank god I’ll be on the mountain all weekend.
Gorge Wind Forecast
If you are looking for strong west wind, you live in the right place. Today won’t be strong, although the 4am (no, I didn’t sleep in, and yes, I have a touch of a hangover because I had two drinks last night) gradients were .09/.12. The gradients will fade, leaving us with gusty 21-24 today. Tomorrow starts with leftover 26-30 from tonight’s weather system, but the wind quickly fades to LTV as an upper level low nears the coast. Expect nuking wind Friday night, with 26-30 Saturday morning, picking up to 30-40+ east of Mosier Saturday afternoon. Expect 30+ on Sunday too.
Road and Mountain Biking
Hmph. Yeah. Not.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear. Temira approves. Click to join.
Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events
There’s pickup rugby tonight at Henkle Middle School at 3:30. In Portland tonight, American Whitewater will join Northwest Rafting Company, ECHO River Trips and other river conservation partners for a fun evening of films, photos and presentations celebrating the wild rivers of Oregon. Patagonia store. $5. Tickets may be sold out, so call before you drive.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira