Thursday: POWDER! COLD! Exciting!

 
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
	4a-8a	8a-12p	12p-4p	4p-8p	8p-4a
Thursday 1000′-1500′
Friday 1000′->3000′
Saturday 2500′->5000′->1000′

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

I’m guessing you were happy when you looked at the ski resort reports this morning. Lots of fresh powder! The fresh snow will continue to pile up. Unfortunately, that will happen with very strong west wind, meaning we might not have lifts to access the falling snow for periods of time this weekend.

For Thursday, expect fantastic groom and XC skiing under mostly cloudy sky in the morning and snowfall in the evening. The snow level will be 1000′-1500′ all day. About 1” of snow will fall during the day. Another .4” water value (WV) falls tonight, for 4-5” of light powder. Wind will be NW 20 during the day and W 30 overnight.

Snowfall rate and wind both pick up on Friday. The snow level will be 1000-1500′ early and 2500-3000′ for the rest of the day and night. About .7” WV is in the daytime forecast, for 7-8” of powder. Another .5” WV falls overnight, for 5-6” more. Yay! Wind could be problematic, or it could be just enough for continuous refills: W 30 early, W 45 by mid morning, WNW 50 (shutdown of quads possible) early afternoon, and NW or W 40 in the evening and overnight.

Saturday looks extremely windy and very snowy. If the forecast holds, it is unlikely that the resorts will have much to offer you in terms of lifts. The snow level will be 2500′ early. It will rise to 5000′ late morning and then slowly fall to 1000′ after midnight. It’s possible there will be a brief period of snow mixed with rain late morning. Either way, at least 1” WV falls during the day, for 8-11” of fresh snow (orographics could up that by 50%). Another .7” WV falls overnight, for 7-9” of powder. Orographics could enhance that too! Now the problem: Wind will be W 40 early, quickly rising to W 60+ and holding there through late afternoon. It’s unlikely lifts will run. The wind should drop to W 45 in the evening, but I’m guessing there will be storm recovery operations to do before lifts can run again!

Looking at Sunday, the wind will still be strong and the snowfall will still be heavy, but the storm won’t be nearly as intense as Saturday. As a matter of fact, the sky should turn partly cloudy late in the day. The GFS gives us a snow level of 1000′ in the morning and sea level in the afternoon (snow is possible in Portland and especially possible in the western Gorge). About .8” WV is forecast, for 9-11” of dry, fluffy powder. More could fall with orographic enhancement. Wind will be W 45-50 early (problematic), WNW 40 by lift opening time (doable), and NW 25 in the afternoon with NW 15 overnight. Looking at next week, things will be cold and dry for several days, meaning the snow will stay … AWESOME!!! HOORAY!
 

Random Morning Thoughts

It’s a beautiful day, and I’m very excited about the incoming “weather”. I’m also running late because I slept in. So, I’ll leave you with a reminder to enjoy this beautiful day. May you be well!
 

Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist, but I am seeing clients at this time at Comprehensive Healthcare in White Salmon. In the meantime, I am your weather forecaster. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, and consult with your actual therapist about your mental health issues. One other thing: I plan to keep doing this forecast indefinitely. Forecasting and counseling are both deeply meaningful and nourishing to me.
 

Gorge Wind Forecast

The overall pattern continues: high pressure off the coast with weather systems sneaking in from the north. This leads to a continuation of westerly wind. For Thursday, we’ll start with W 7-10. In the afternoon, the wind picks up to 12-15 from Stevenson to Mary hill. Friday sees an upper level low move into Vancouver Island. Combine that with offshore high pressure for strong west wind. In the morning, we’ll have 12-15 everywhere except near Hood River. In the afternoon, the wind picks up to gusty 18-22 from Stevenson to Mosier with 30+ from Rowena (or maybe The Dalles) east to Arlington. Saturday looks like a repeat of Friday, but perhaps even stronger! Sunday looks colder with W 26-30.
 

Gorge Weather Forecast

Today looks partly cloudy with sprinkles. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and upper 40’s later. Light westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Snow level 1000′-1500′. Friday looks showery early and rainy most of the day. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and upper 40’s in the afternoon. Light west wind early, strong west wind later. 99% chance of rainbows. Snow level 1000′ early and 3000′ in the afternoon. Saturday looks rainy. Temps will be in the low 40’s early and upper 40’s in the afternoon. Light west wind early, very strong west wind later. 99% chance of rainbows. Snow level peaks at 5000′ midday.

For weather specifically directed at travel through the Gorge, please visit Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.
 

White Sprinter Van of the Week

 
White Sprinter Van map of the world!!!