MT. HOOD WEATHER FORECAST
Hey skiers and snowboarders! It’s nice to talk to you again, and it’s also nice to have something to talk about other than sunshine, frozen granular, and epic skate skiing. Powder hounds, park riders, and groom carvers, we’re headed back into a period of new snow. It’ll be plenty of fresh to take us all the way over from granular snow to cold packed powder. Did I mention cold? It’s going to get cold and stay that way for all of next week.
Let’s take a look at Thursday: it’s your last chance for frozen granular, corn snow, and that super-fast skate skiing that y’all know I’m obsessed with. If that doesn’t appeal, wax your powder boards and have just a little patience. Thursday kicks off with a few high clouds. Clouds increase, thicken, and eventually block the sun. Snow starts up late this evening. The free air freezing level starts at 10,000′. When the system arrives, the snow level starts at 5500′ but quickly drops to 4000′. This system packs a bit of a moisture punch – tonight is just the start. We’ll pick up 0.3” to 0.4” water equivalent (WE) tonight for 2-3” heavy fresh snow – hopefully that heaviness will help it bond to the surface beneath. Wind today: W 20 this morning, SW 15-30 this afternoon, and SW 30-55 overnight.
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Dumping snow is forecast for the 24 hour period known as Friday. Daytime snow level will be bouncing around between 4000′ and 5000′. Overnight, the snow level falls to 500′ or less. Get ready for this: During the day, at least 1.0” WE is forecast for 8-10” relatively dense new snow. Overnight: another 1.0” for 10-12” dry powder. Night skiing is where it’s at for unlimited powder refills; just be aware of the hard, moguled surface beneath all that powder. Wind: SW 30-55 prior to dawn turns to WSW 40-55 at daybreak and holds during the day. Overnight, the wind turns to W 40mph, which could amp up the snow intensity even more than forecast. Thank you, orographic assistance. That’s one hell of a powder Friday, eh?
Lingering snow continues on Saturday as cold, Alaskan air takes over. Snow level: 500′ or less near Mt. Hood as temps at 5000′ drop to the upper teens and hold. About 0.1” to 0.3” WE is forecast during the day for 1-3” powder. Overnight, another niche or so of snow falls in this cold, showery pattern. Wind: W 40 in the morning, W 35 in the afternoon, and W 20 overnight.
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday all look similar: cold, intermittently cloudy, with light snow flurries. Accumulation will be less than a couple inches each day. With the cold, the snow will hold: expect stellar packed powder conditions in the parks and on the groom day after day after day. When will this pattern break? No end in sight? Next powder dump after the Friday storm? Also not in sight. Weather’s gonna do what it’ll do. See you on the snow!
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Hood River, Oregon 97031
GORGE WIND FORECAST
Hi friends! I hope you had a wonderful week! We’re headed into a period of light westerlies* followed by an extended period of widespread cold weather with east wind. During that cold stretch, it’s possible you’ll be playing ice hockey instead of riding river swell, but hey, maybe you could make it a two-sport day? Thursday starts with completely flat pressures. While models indicate westerlies, I”m skeptical given the persistent ridge in place. If we get very lucky, we’ll see westerlies at 15-18 from Stevenson to Viento. They could make it to Swell, but I’d be surprised. If they do, they’ll probably be especially up and down. River flow over the last 24 hours was 102-15kcfs, river temp is 39.74F, and high temp forecast is 45F with increasing clouds.
Friday starts with light west wind, less than 10mph. The wind rises to gusty W 10-15 at Stevenson, and only at Stevenson. Okay, there might be some westerlies west of Stevenson and maybe to Viento, but don’t get excited about anywhere else. High temp: 46F with clouds, rain, snow, snain, etc. Saturday starts with light west wind all through the Gorge, perhaps 7-10mph. Afternoon wind rises to 10-13 from Stevenson to Avery with 15-18 from Avery to Boardman. I should probably say that these are the remnants of stronger west wind that will happen Friday night into Saturday morning. But don’t be too sad – it isn’t quite the right setup anyway. High temp: 41F with clouds in the morning and mostly clear sky in the afternoon. Sunday looks light/variable. After that: easterlies and colder.
BARE BONES HOOD RIVER WEATHER FORECAST
Partly high overcast sky this morning. Clouds later. Snow or snow/snain/rain mix overnight. Temps start in the low 20s and rise to the mid 40s. Light westerlies. No rainbows. Friday will be cloudy with light snow and showers. Temps start in the mid 30s and rise tot he mid 40s. Light westerlies. 72% chance of rainbows. Saturday will be cloudy then partly cloudy with snow flurries then snain flurries or showers. Temps start in the low 30s and rise to the low 40s. Light to moderate westerlies. 89% chance of rainbows.
TEMIRA’S AWESOME TRAVEL ADVISORY SERVICE (DETAILED GORGE WEATHER FORECAST)
Good morning, neighbors! Good to see all of you and the Gorge again! After weeks of “nothing much to talk about”, we have a LOT to talk about this morning, and I don’t have all that much time to talk about it with you. Why not? Well, last night I set my alarm for 5:15am, but I forgot to hit save. Oops! So, what’s to talk about? SNOW!!!!
But first, let’s check in with Glenwood. As best I can tell, NOTHING has changed in Glenwood since I left. Temps this morning read 15F with a dewpoint of 11F, which is exactly what was going on there a week ago. Good job being consistent.
And next up, my Executive Order Of The Day: “One cannot accumulate wealth beyond $999,999,999. All such accumulations will be absorbed by the federal government and used to pay for items of the basic need (healthcare, support for seniors and children, food security, warm clothing, and heating/air conditioning, menstrual supplies). BTW, one billion dollar is 15,151 times the average annual salary of $66,000. I dunno who’s making that much – it certainly ain’t me or many of you! Guessing the results are skewed by the massive salaries at the top of the chain.
THURSDAY
Now, let’s talk about weather. Thursday starts easy: a few high clouds, sub-freezing temps, low dewpoints, plenty of static electricity… A weather system moves in late this evening, and it packs a wallop, especially in the Cascades. Tonight’s p-type depends a lot on the conditions at sundown, and that depends a lot on whether west wind can break through this high pressure today and raise the dewpoints, which are very low right now. Why do we care? Keeping it simple, low dewpoints allow temps to drop when precip arrives, making it far more likely that we’ll see snow than rain.
So… my best guess (and I may revisit all this and post an update in the evening) will be snow tonight east of (best guess) Viento or so. Parkdale should pick up 2-4”, and Trout Lake, Snowden, Underwood and associated communities 1-2”. The forecast is REALLY tricky down low. I’m leaning towards snow or snain rather than straight rain, but again, this really depends on how things play out during the day today with the west wind.
FRIDAY
Let’s look at Friday: again, same problem, but add in LOTS of precip. The effective snow level (temps aloft will be +1C at 5000′) will be 4000-5000′ (although intense precip rates will drop that some), but we could still have this low-dewpoint problem leading to snow in the Gorge. I don’t think I can write an accurate forecast for Friday until I see how things look tonight. Know this: we’ll have very heavy rain west of Hood River for your daytime commute to/from the metro area on Friday. Something you can count on there! Moderate precip extends all the way to the Arlington Triangle and beyond with light precip (probably snow, potentially freezing rain) in South Wasco and Sherman Counties prior to dawn (dry after that). Models have light west wind as far east as Stevenson. That should give us rain there. To the east – VERY tricky. It depends on initial conditions Thursday evening, so…
Since I’m supposed to actually guess about tonight into Friday… I think Parkdale, Trout Lake, and Snowden will pick up some snow tonight and potentially into tomorrow. Other areas: less likely, but still possible to have snow (or even ice!) tonight into Friday morning.
Aloft, we’ll see strong WSW wind Friday daytime. That wind should scour out the cold air from the top down and switch the initial snow to rain, potentially briefly freezing rain Friday daytime. But wait…incoming colder air will switch the precip right back over to snow Friday night into Saturday morning all the way down to 500′ or less.
Yeah, too much uncertainty. I’ll revisit this tonight. You can find the update on my website. I gotta get moving now, and don’t have more time to ponder this.
SATURDAY AND BEYOND
Let’s take a look at something easier: Saturday. Colder air will be in place starting after midnight Friday. By colder, I mean -7C or so at 850mb (5000′), which is cold enough for snow down to river level. Not much moisture will be in place, but there should be enough for a couple inches (west) to a trace (The Dalles) Saturday daytime. Models again hint at west wind. That would drive afternoon temps up enough to turn the flurries to showers (with rainbows) in the afternoon. Beyond that: cold weather (20s or less every night, low to mid 30s during the day) with a few scattered flurries for a couple days followed by cold, dry weather into the end of next week and perhaps beyond. I just ordered some hockey skates in the hope that some of the ponds will freeze. All those nice Minnesota people living in the Gorge just perked up at the thought of not having to drive to Laurence Lake (which is about to get a huge dump of snow) to play. Fingers crossed. Safe travels. -TATAS
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