The Gorge Is My Gym

MT. HOOD SNOW FORECAST

Hey skiers and snowboarders! Hopefully some of y’all made it up to the mountain yesterday. I was skating at Teacup, and it was the absolute best day of the season so far. Most of the groom was hardpack, and there were a few little areas of packed powder and granular mixed in. You should find the same on the alpine side today with the addition of scoured areas up high. But wait… with temps above freezing, a few hours of sun on those scoured areas should give us a shot at corn snow. And so it continues for most of the next 10 days – the weather looks quite dry (with the exception of a few sprinkles/flurries Thursday) all the way through the weekend of the 25^th. And maybe beyond.

Tuesday’s going to be sunny to start with a few high clouds later. The free air freezing level (FAF) will be 9000′ this morning, and it’ll rise to 10,000′ this afternoon. Temps start in the mid 30s and rise to the low 40s at 5000′. Wind: N 10 this morning, NW 10-15 this afternoon, and light/variable overnight. Blue sky and sunshine is the call for Wednesday with temps maxing out near 50 degrees as the FAF holds at 10,000′. Wind will be light and variable all day. It turns westerly at 15mph overnight.

A weak system on Thursday does little more than amp up the wind a bit; models suggest moisture will not be deep enough to affect areas above 5000′. I suppose a little drizzle or a few flurries are possible in the lowest areas – Skibowl comes to mind – but it’s unlikely. Expect sun up high. The FAF falls from 10,000′ in the morning to 8000′ in the afternoon and down below 1500′ after midnight. Wind: W 15 in the morning, W 25-30 in the afternoon, and NE 10 overnight.

We’re back to dry, mostly sunny weather starting Friday. One big change: sub-freezing temps will accompany the sunshine through at least Saturday and possibly into Sunday. Next chance of precipitation of any sort doesn’t arrive until the following weekend, and even then, models are not all-in on the dry spell ending. Better stock up on sunscreen! Have an awesome day on the slopes.

GORGE WIND FORECAST

Hi friends! Lots of easterlies in your future, but there’s also a west wind day in the cards. Let’s take a look! Tuesday kicks off with very light east gradients and easterlies under 15mph. Stevenson should rise to 15mph this afternoon, but everywhere else will be 10mph or less. River flow over the last 24 hours was 101-171kcfs, river temp is 42.98F, and high temp forecast is 43F with sun in the east wind zone.

Wednesday starts sub-freezing with a round of strong east wind. We’ll see 25-30mph to start at Stevenson and 40-50mph to start at Iwash (Rooster) Rock. Stevenson bumps up 5mph midday before dropping to 25mph in the afternoon. Iwash fades to 35-40mph in the afternoon. High temp will be 42F with sunshine in the windy zones. Thursday starts with easterlies at 15-25mph in the usual spots, but they shut off quickly. Models disagree on the timing of incoming westerlies; for now, let’s call it 24-27 from late morning on through the afternoon between Viento and Hood River or perhaps Stevenson and Mosier. High temp: 49F (and dropping into the afternoon) with clouds in the west and sun out east. Easterlies return on Friday and build into early next week as high pressure and colder air settles in on the east side of the Cascades. Enjoy!

BARE BONES HOOD RIVER FORECAST

Nothing sticks around for Tuesday. Temps start in the low-mid 30s and rise to the upper 30s. Very light easterlies. No rainbows. Wednesday will be Nothing then less Nothing. Temps start in the upper 20s and rise to the upper 30s. Easterlies. No rainbows. Thursday starts with Nothing, then turns breezy and partly to mostly cloudy. A few sprinkles could fall. Temps start in the upper 20s and rise to the upper 40s. Light easterlies early. Moderately strong westerlies later. 9% chance of rainbows.