Tuesday: massive snowfall for the mountain. giant 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′
Tuesday 2500′->1500′
Wednesday 0-1500′
Thursday 1000′ or less

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Good morning skiers and snowboarders and Nordic folks. The next week is going to be a wild ride for the mountain. Heck, the fun started yesterday. As anticipated, the snow switched over to rain and freezing rain, and that iced up the lifts. Not sure what happened at T-Line because I wasn’t paying attention, but Meadows had to close their quads early due to the icing. About 6” of snow fell overnight (10” in 24), but there was 2.5” total moisture. Wow. We’re now expecting a massive blizzard and extreme snowfall for a couple of days. Models then hint at another very messy mixed precip storm Friday night into Saturday. Before I forget… if you’re thinking of going up on Wednesday (Timberline and Meadows are closed today due to the blizzard), give the resorts some grace. It’s going to take a long, long time to deice those lifts (people have to climb up towers and pound the ice off the shivs and cables by hand using brass mallets. It’s a very long, slow process). Expect all the lifts to be delayed in opening. Bring treats for lifties and lift maintenance.

Okay. Tuesday’s weather. One of the bigger windstorms we’ve seen in a long time. The snow level will be 2500′ early, 1500′ this afternoon, and below 1000′ overnight. About 0.9” water equivalent (WE) is forecast today, for 9-11” snow plus orographic enhancement. 15”? Overnight, another 1.3” WE of colder snow is forecast. 14-18” plus orographics. 20”+? Wind: W 55 early, WNW 60 midday, W 60 in the evening, and NW 25-30 overnight. It’s probably worth noting that the passes will be complete whiteout conditions with blowing and drifting snow. Don’t attempt it without an emergency kit.

Wednesday keeps the snow coming. The snow level will be less than 1000′ all day and all night. Again, expect major delays in the resorts opening lifts due to storm recovery. During the day, 0.8” WE is forecast. That’ll be cold, dry powder. 9-12” plus a bit more due to orographic enhancement. Overnight, just 0.2” WE is forecast for 2-3” additional dry powder. Wind: NW 25-35 early, W 35 in the afternoon, NW 25-35 in the evening, and WNW 45 overnight.

There could be some lift challenges on Thursday due to the wind. Skibowl, a little lower, and less wind-affected, is opening Thursday. Meadows Nordic may be as well. Anyway, the snow level will be 1000′ or less to start, 1500′ in the afternoon, and down below 1000′ (0′ in the Gorge, probably) overnight. About 0.5” WE is forecast during the day for 5-7” powder. Same overnight. Wind: WNW 45-55 early (lifts may be affected), W 50 in the afternoon, and W 50 overnight. Hmm… I forgot to add orographic enhancement. Increase those snow totals by 30-50% please.

Things get real interesting on Friday. A warm, wet, atmospheric river encounters very cold air in the Gorge. Maybe. Timing will be everything on the cold air. Anyway, many inches of moisture are forecast with fluctuating freezing levels. This is going to make a gigantic iced-up mess of the ski lifts Friday night into Saturday and probably bury the Gorge in snow/ice. We’ll take a closer look at this as we get closer. Once the snow levels drop again (probably Saturday midday), massive snowfall continues. Holy moly is there a lot of snow in the forecast this week. We should make up our snowpack deficit, no problem. Be safe out there!

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hi friends! Looks like a big day on the river with ginormous gusts. Give it until late morning and then pick a spot. Out east, you’ll find 35-45, then a dip to 30-35, and then 35-40 again late afternoon. Gusts will be huge, and averages could exceed those numbers. For areas west of The Dalles, expect 24-27+ with intermittent rain. The Viento to Swell stretch may be particularly windy today. River flow yesterday was 86-132kcfs, river temp is 43F, and high temp forecast is 44F (and dropping during the day) near Hood River with 46F and a wind advisory near Arlington.

Westerlies continue on Wednesday. Expect 19-23 to start from Stevenson to Avery. That holds through the morning and then drops to 11-14 in the afternoon. High temp: 41F with showers and sunbreaks and rainbows. Thursday starts with W 14-17 from Stevenson to Arlington and slowly builds. Models suggest a spike from Stevenson to Swell or Hood River late in the day, perhaps 21-24. Sprinkles, partly cloudy sky, and highs in the low 40’s. After that: weird stuff on Friday if the cold front moves in. Westerlies on the west side. Big easterlies out east. Giant convergence zone in the middle. Next up: truly massive easterlies with truly massive snowfall. See you on the river today!

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Hood River Weather Forecast

Heavy rain this morning turns to heavy showers this afternoon. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and will fall as the day goes on. Strong westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Wednesday will probably be snowy early then rainy. Temps start in the low 30’s and rise to the low 40’s. Moderate westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Thursday will be rainy. Temps start in the mid 30’s and rise to the low 40’s. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Models seem to be converging on a massive winter weather event Friday or Saturday. Stay tuned to TATAS for the details.

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!

The Teacup Tea Party is 1/13 at Teacup with free beginner and intermediate skate and classic ski lessons. Hood River Rotary Night at Meadows is Monday, 1/15. 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.