The Gorge Is My Gym

MT. HOOD WEATHER FORECAST

Hey skiers and snowboarders! Our long, dry spell continues nearly to the end of the month. There’s one minor exception to this: Friday into Saturday, when we could see a trace to a couple inches of snow on the slopes. Other than that – mostly sunny with periods with above-freezing weather (today through Thursday) and periods of colder weather (Friday through Sunday). Next actual snowfall holds off until I return from my meditation retreat at the latter half of next week. That’s convenient for forecasting!

Tuesday’s kicking off breezier than yesterday’s model runs thought it would be. In numbers, that’s 35-48mph out of the west at the top of Mt. Hood Express. That’s enough to put a damper on some lifts this morning, for sure. The day looks sunny to start with a few high clouds midday and clear sky to finish. The free air freezing level hovers between 4000′ and 5000′ before falling back to 0′ overnight. Temps at 5000′ will be right around freezing, and due to the wind, temps in the Nordic zones are also right around freezing this morning (although there’s no grooming on Tuesday). Wind today will be WNW 30 this morning, which is enough to impact Cascade, Vista, and potentially some of the lower lifts at Timberline and Meadows. The wind drops to NW 25-30 midday and NW 20-25 this afternoon, which should mitigate any problems other than the most exposed lifts. Overnight, the wind turns to N 10+.

Wednesday will be partly high overcast with plenty of sun until the nighttime, when the sky clears. The free air freezing level starts at 0′, rises to 6500′ in the afternoon, and climbs to 9000′ overnight. Temps start near freezing at 5000′ and rise to the upper 30s. Wind: N 10+ in the morning becoming light/variable in the afternoon.

Thursday starts clear and turns high overcast at the end of the day. The free air freezing level starts at 9000′, falls to 6000′ in the afternoon, and drops to 3500′ as an incoming cold front approaches from the NNW. No precip Thursday. Wind will be light/variable early, NW 10-15 in the afternoon, NW 20-25 in the evening, and NNW 15-20 after midnight.

Sub-freezing, partly cloudy weather is forecast for Friday. We can’t rule out a few flurries or even a little snow, but this system looks pretty darn dry. Measurable snowfall is unlikely. Expect moderate wind and temps in the 20s. Sunshine and strong easterlies, possibly enough to shut down Timberline (which is more affected by east wind than the other resorts) are forecast on Saturday. Sunday looks sunny with temps in the 20s. Mostly sunny weather continues all the way into the middle or latter part of next week, when models FINALLY suggest a pattern change. In the meantime, stock up on sunscreen! See you on the snow!

GORGE WIND FORECAST

Hi friends! If you feel the need to get your Columbia River on, there will be an opportunity for you coming up. But dress warmly and keep an eye on your buddies – it’s cold out there, and hypothermia is a real possibility. Tuesday starts with pressures of 30.51/30.45 for a west gradient of 0.06. We should see 19-22 from Stevenson to Swell today starting mid-morning. Hood River to Mosier picks up to 13-16, and that teen-strength wind eventually fills in from Lyle to Doug’s. East of there: calmish all day. River flow over the last 24 hours was 125-175kcfs, river temp is 41.54F, and high temp forecast is 44F with sunshine in the morning and scattered high clouds in the afternoon.

Easterlies return on Wednesday. The day starts with 20mph at Stevenson and eventually builds to 25-30mph there in the afternoon. Iwash starts at 25mph and builds to 35mph by midday. High temp: 42F and mostly sunny. Thursday starts with 45mph at Iwash and fades to 15mph. Stevenson starts with 25mph and fades to 15mph after noon. High temp: 43F with sun in the morning and high clouds later. Friday looks light/variable. Easterlies return for Saturday, but probably not for Sunday. Stay warm and safe out there today!

BARE BONES HOOD RIVER WEATHER FORECAST

Clear sky this morning adds some high clouds later. Temps start in the low 20s and rise to the mid 40s. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Wednesday will be mostly clear with a few high clouds. Temps start in the mid 20s and rise to the low 40s. Easterlies. No rainbows. Thursday may start with a partial Nothing, but it will turn clear then high overcast. Temps start in the upper 20s and rise to the low 40s. Easterlies. No rainbows. Want to chat about it? Head to the Hood River Weather website chatroom.