Thursday: lots of snow coming for the mountains. also some west wind for the Gorge.

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

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The Forecast

Snow level	4a-8a	8a-12p	12p-4p	4p-8p	8p-4a
Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
Thursday 5000′->2000′
Friday 2000′->1500”
Saturday 1500′->1000′

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Over the next week or so, models keep the snow coming to Mt. Hood. There are a couple short periods where temps will rise near freezing and potentially bring a brief switch to snain, but generally speaking, things look good. Lots of snow is on the way. That’s followed by colder, probably dry weather late next week. 7 day percentiles for snow on Mt. Hood: 25th: 26”. 50th: 31”. 90th: 40”. 14 day: 25th: 50”. 50th: 62”. 90th: 92”.

Thursday brings a bit of dense snow to the slopes followed by a bit of less dense snow. Expect stormy conditions. The snow level will be 5000′ early, 3500′ in the afternoon, and 2000′ overnight. About 0.3” water equivalent (WE) is forecast during the day, for 2-3” dense new snow. Overnight, just a trace is forecast prior to the sky clearing. Wind will be W 20 early, W 30 most of the day, and NW 25-30 after midnight.

Friday starts out clear, turns high overcast in the afternoon, and picks up some snow after midnight. The free air freezing level will be 2000′ all day with the snow level around 1500-2000′ after midnight. Just a trace to 0.1” WE is forecast overnight, for up to an inch of new. Wind: NW 25-30 in the morning, W 30 in the afternoon, and SW 20-40 after midnight. Saturday looks quite snowy with 8-11” new snow possible. The snow level will be 1500-2000′ early, 1000-1500′ in the afternoon, and 1000′ overnight. About 0.5” WE falls during the day for 5-6” powder. Overnight, about 0.3”-0.4” WE is forecast for 3-5” additional powder. Wind: SW 20-40 early quickly turns to NW 20-30 and becoming WSW 30-35 after midnight. We may have a few flurries Sunday, but the sun should come out quickly. Wind will be NW or WNW 25-35 all day fading to W 10 after midnight. Lots of snow is forecast Monday and Tuesday into Wednesday. Models haven’t coalesced around how much, but “lots” is probably accurate. Models do hint at a short period on Tuesday morning when the snow could switch to rain, but they also say it’ll be back to snow quickly. Looks like a great week ahead! Enjoy!

Gorge Wind Forecast

Thanks to a pattern change, we’ll be in westerly follow for at least the next few days. Witt he weather pattern this active, models struggle to predict the wind speed, location, and timing even 24 hours in advance. For today, we start with light easterlies. Afternoon wind switches direction and picks up to W 14-17 from Stevenson to Viento, maybe Hood River with 5-10 east to Arlington. River flow yesterday was 80-134kcfs, river temp is 44F, and high temp forecast is 45F.

Friday starts with light westerlies or calm wind. Not much happens in the western Gorge, perhaps 7-10. East of Biggs, westerlies rise to 13-16 in the afternoon. High temp:45F with sunshine east of The Dalles. Saturday starts calm with rain. Once that system slides through, westerlies pick up to gusty 22-26 from Hood River to Avery late morning. The wind shifts east and holds at 22-26 from Mosier to Rufus. West of Mosier, models suggest 17-20 or less. It’s worth mentioning that models are all over the place for wind speeds. Much strong or much weaker wind is possible. That uncertainty should lessen as we get closer. Models hint at 17-21 near Hood River on Sunday. Looking deeper into the forecast, we set our sights on Tuesday or Wednesday for a potentially strong west wind day. When (very) cold air arrives later next week, easterlies return. However, temps may be below freezing. Have fun out there!

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Hood River Weather Forecast

Rain this morning lessens this afternoon and adds sun breaks. Temps star tint he upper 30’s and rise to the mid 40’s. Calm wind, then light easterlies, then moderate westerlies. 98% chance of rainbows. Friday will be dry then showery. Temps start in the upper 30’s and rise to the mid 40’s. Light westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Saturday will be rainy in the morning, dry in the afternoon, and showery overnight. Temps start in the mid 30’s and rise to the low 40’s. Calm wind early. Moderately strong westerlies midday. 99% chance of rainbows.

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!

Registration is open for Gorge Ultimate winter league. Sign up here: https://gorge.ultimatecentral.com/e/winter-league-2024 – Teacup has an après ski fundraiser at the Ruins on January 27th. $25. Amayah’s Indian Cafe (Biggs) offers a free meal every first Thursday from 1-4pm.

Regular weekly events:. NK Studio’s by-donation Tuesday morning yoga class is back. 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. The Tri Club is done for the season. 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. On Saturday at 9am, there’s a by-donation outdoor group fitness on the 2rd floor deck about Ferment Brewing.

Cycling

Regarding the trails in general: don’t ride in the mud. You’ll damage the trails. Don’t ride trails if it was below freezing the previous night and is above freezing when you want to ride. Ride gravel. Ride your trainer. Build trails. There are trail builders seeking extra hands on seven additional miles of trail on Whoopdee. Contact HRATS for more information. If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.