Categories
Forecast

Thursday: two very stormy storm skiing days

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

Thank you for using this forecast. Like it? Find it useful? Support it (and me!) by sending some cash my way. What’s it cost to support me and get the email version? Not $99 a year. Nope. Not $49. Just $19.99 or more gets you a year. People are added to this list on Thursday and Sunday. My day job is crisis mental health, and I don’t have time on other days. Thanks for your patience! Click below to contribute. Thank you!!

Credit card payments use this button

Click here to use your PayPal
Venmo: @theGorgeismyGym
Snail Mail: PO Box 841, Hood River, Oregon 97031
(note: I am not a non-profit entity. The only way to accept credit cards with a user-defined amount is to use the ‘donate’ button. Thanks for understanding!)

Auto-renewing subscription. New! Awesome!

The Forecast

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – 5000′
4a-8a 8a-12p 12p-4p 4p-8p 8p-4a
Thursday
3000′->1500′
Friday
2000′->1000′
Saturday
1000′->1500′->500′

Mt. Hood Forecast

Very stormy weather is on tap for the next two days on Mt. Hood, and so is snowfall that will likely outpace the forecast. Weekend weather looks calmer with sunshine, a rapid about-face from what we’ll see Thursday and Friday. If you are going to the resorts Thursday or Friday, bring a shovel to extricate yourself from the parking lots, as snowfall and wind drifting will be extreme.

Thursday’s weather starts stormy and stays that way. The snow level will be 2500′-3000′ during the day, 1500′ in the evening, and the same overnight. 0.8” water equivalent (WE) is forecast during the day. That’s 8-10” powder. Another 0.7” WE is forecast overnight, for another 7-9” of dry, fluffy, potentially wind-affected snow. Snow totals could be 30% higher thanks to orographic effects. Wind: problematic. WNW 50-55 all day and W 60 overnight. That’s enough to slow lifts, if not stop them. It’s also enough that the snow could be compacted into windslab, reducing the fluffiness of the freshies.

Looking at Friday, we see the snowstorm continue. The snow level will be 1500-2000′ in the morning, 1000′-1500′ in the evening, and 1000′ overnight. 1.3” WE is forecast during the day, for 13-15” of cold, dry snow. Another 0.6” WE is forecast overnight. That’s another 6-7” of powder. Wind may enhance snowfall rates. Wind will likely affect snow quality, at least in the morning. Wind: W 60 early (no lifts), NW 40-45 mid-morning (lifts return, most likely), and NW 35-40 overnight.

Stormy weather lets up around sunrise on Saturday. Just 1” of snow is predicted in the morning before clear sky appears. The snow level will be 1000′ early, 1500′ in the afternoon, and 1000′ overnight. Wind: NW 35-40 early, NW 15-20 in the afternoon, holding overnight.

Models don’t quite agree on Sunday. It appears we’ll see clouds in the morning and sun with warming temps in the afternoon. The free air freezing level will be about 1500′ early, 4500′ in the afternoon, and 6000′ after midnight. NW wind at 15-20 in the morning fades to light and variable in the evening and SW 10-15 overnight. Enjoy the storm skiing. Carry a beacon, shovel and probe, and ride with a partner. Avoid tree wells. Have fun!

Note on wind speeds. Different wind directions are experienced in different ways on Mt. Hood. For example, west wind at 50mph will hit the slopes and exposed ridges at W 50. SW 50 may hit the ridges at SW 50, but will likely only be SW 20 below tree line. Hence the ranges for wind. Depends where you are on the mountain. Hopefully that helps clarify.  

Gorge Wind Forecast

Three days of westerlies are in the forecast, and two of those will be quite strong. Thursday’s starting out glassy in the central Gorge, but that’s not the all-day forecast. By this afternoon, we’ll have gusty 24-28 with rain in the western Gorge and 30-40 from The Dalles to Boardman. River flow is 152kcfs, river temp is 38F, and high temp forecast is 43F for Hood River and 49F for Arlington. That’s cold, and the water is frigid, so play with a partner and keep them in sight. Wear a PFD, and be prepared for self-rescue. Friday starts with gusty 25-29 east of The Dalles and west of Swell. Afternoon wind fills in at 29-33 from Stevenson to Threemile. High temp: 45F. Saturday starts with 13-16 through the whole Gorge. The eastern Gorge backs off to 5-10 or so, and the western Gorge, Stevenson to The Dalles, picks up to 18-22. High temp: 47F.  

Coast, Jones, Sauvie’s

As needed until next spring and summer.  

Hood River Weather Forecast

Rain and rainbows and wind for Thursday. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and low 40’s later. Light wind early. Strong westerlies later. 99.9% chance of rainbows. Friday looks rainy and windy. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and mid 40’s later. Strong westerlies. 99.9% chance of rainbows. Saturday starts cloudy and ends sunny. Temps will be in the mid 30’s early and upper 40’s later. Light to moderate westerlies. 0.5% 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.  

Cycling

We are in winter riding season, and the trails are apt to be fragile. If it was below freezing last night and is above freezing now, don’t ride. If it was below freezing last night and it is sunny now, don’t ride unless you are under a tree canopy for the entire ride. Freeze-thaw conditions, when ridden upon, result in permanent trail damage. Please consider doing something else, perhaps riding a gravel road in the trees or going to the mountain. Thank you!  

Sprinter Van of the Week!

  Click here for the Sprinter Van map of the world!!!  

Local Events

Weekly events: The Kainos Coffee run happens in The Dalles every Tuesday morning at 6am. There are sailboat races at the Hood River Marina every Wednesday evening. Dirty Fingers has a group mountain bike ride (bring lights) Wednesday nights at 5:30pm. Cheno has an outdoor HIIT workout at Griffin House in Hood River at 6pm on Wednesday nights. There is a BLM rally every Tuesday evening at 5:30 at the Salmon Fountain in Hood River, and there’s a White Coats for BLM rally every Thursday at noon at 12th and May in Hood River.   Have an awesome day!

By Temira

Temira Lital is a recreation and travel weather forecaster based in Hood River, Oregon. Temira uses they/them pronouns. They're also a mental health counselor. Temira bikes, skis, windsurfs, paddles a SUP, swims in mountain lakes, and loves gardening. Most recently they've taken up SUP foiling. Temira is powered by La Croix, protein, and beets.