Mt. Hood ended up with about 5” of fresh snow on Monday, more than I thought we’d get, and enough to make for a fun Tuesday on the slopes. As temperatures rise over the next couple of days, that new snow is going to cause problems for skiers – the powerful sunshine this time of year will turn that snow sticky until it corns up. So if you’re planning on riding, get to the hill early before the snow sees a ton of sunshine. Continued after the chart.
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4a-8a | 8a-12p | 12p-4p | 4p-8p | 8p-4a |
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| Today inverted-> 10,000’/b> |
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| Tomorrow 11,000′-> 13,000′ |
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| The next day 13,000′ |
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast, continued…
That said, you can expect a partly cloudy day all day on Tuesday, and that will help protect the snow from the sticky gremlins. The free air freezing level will rise to 8000′ midday and 10,000′ in the afternoon and evening. Wind will be NW 20 all day long.
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Wednesday looks sunny all day long. The free air freezing level will be 11,000′ early and 13,000′ in the afternoon. Temps at 5000′ will max out around 50 degrees. Wind will be WNW 15 early and W 5-10 in the afternoon. Thursday looks just like Wednesday, but even warmer, with 5000′ temps maxing out around 55 degrees. Ditto on Friday, but we may see some clouds move in during the afternoon.
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Gorge Wind Forecast
Tuesday is starting off with light to moderate westerlies with light to moderate gradients: .03 (pdx-dls) and .07 (dls-psc). You can expect west wind in the 10-14 range through the whole Gorge all day long. One model suggests we’ll see westerlies at 15-18 in the Rowena stretch of the Columbia late this afternoon, so keep your eyes open for that, if you’re looking for a little more wind.
Wednesday starts off light and variable and picks up by mid-morning to E 15-20 at Rooster Rock with 10-15 at Stevenson. The easterlies should pick up Wednesday night, bringing us E 30-40 at Rooster Rock on Thursday morning. You’ll probably find 20-25 in the Home Valley – Stevenson stretch for your Thursday mid-morning downwinder. By Thursday afternoon, the easterlies will spread through the whole Gorge, giving us 10-13 from Viento eastward to Arlington. Strange, but true if the models are correct.
Murphy’s Law comes into effect the moment I walk into my Hakomi training in Portland on Friday afternoon. See, Friday starts off with W 10-13 in the western Gorge. By midday, high pressure off the coast gives us 25-29+ from Stevenson to Doug’s, possibly filling in at Maryhill as well. Nothing will stand in the way of the westerlies on Friday night, and we’ll have the perfect Classic Gorge Setup on Saturday. Expect 28-32 from Swell to Arlington pretty much all day long on Saturday.
When I wrote the forecast on Monday, it was looking like we’d see a three-fer this weekend. Tuesday’s model runs suggest Sunday will be a rest day with light and variable wind.
Random Morning Thoughts
I’m thinking about tomato plants this morning. You see, February was the hottest on record by 2 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s ridiculous, and leads me to speculate that we may have had some sort of leap in overall climate. If that’s the case, the average last frost date at my house is no longer 4/20. I’m thinking of doing something radical. Something risky. Something crazy. I’m thinking of planting my tomatoes this week.
Risk sensitivity is a really interesting topic to me. We can learn a lot about ourselves from our relationship with risk. This doesn’t just apply to planting tomatoes, doing extreme sports, or our tolerance for the ups and downs of our financial health. We also have risk sensitivity in our relationships with others. Do we put ourselves in social situations that push our boundaries? Do we let ourselves be vulnerable with others? Do we talk about topics that make us uncomfortable?
When we encounter a situation that feels risky, we are in a situation that offers opportunity for growth. It’s a double-edged sword, of course: if the outcome is good, we learn that it’s okay to take risks. If the outcome is bad and we’re not careful, we can find ourselves retreating into a smaller world. So, it’s important to be self-aware when we’re taking risks… learning a new sport, a new move in an old sport, or something with much vaster consequences.
Rather than pushing yourself to take a risk, study what comes up when you think about possibly taking on this boundary-pushing experience. Notice what buttons are pushed in you. Notice what you fear. This is what’s important, even more than trying something new. Because when you understand the whys around your hesitation, you grow, whether you take a risk or not. Now, go dig up your garden and see what comes up if you think about putting in some peppers and tomatoes in the first week of April. Have an awesome day!
Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist. 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.
Gorge Weather Forecast
It’s partly to mostly cloudy this morning, and that’s just fine because we’re going to have an awful lot of sun this week. You can expect partly cloudy sky today, turning clear by late afternoon or early evening. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and the low 60’s this afternoon. Moderate west wind. No rainbows. Wednesday looks like an awesome day to ride a bike to Portland State University: Clear sky, temps in the upper 30’s early and the upper 70’s in the afternoon. Light wind early with east wind later. No rainbows. Thursday looks positively summery. Temps will be in the upper 40’s early and the low 80’s, yes the 80’s, in the afternoon. Moderate east wind through the entire Gorge by afternoon. No rainbows. Next chance of rainbows is Saturday.
For weather specifically directed at travel through the Gorge, please visit Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
It figures that the moment I sent the forecast out into the world yesterday it started pouring in Hood River, turning perfect dirt to wet, slippery, muddy dirt. It rained almost a third of an inch yesterday in Hood River. Impressive, considering that by the time I got to Portland yesterday it was sunny. Anyway, that much rain means that Post is probably too wet to ride, but you have options: Hospital, Whoopdee, Syncline, Kitchen Sink, and Gorge 400. No dogs are allowed on Hospital at this time, and the Mobius trail in Post Canyon is currently closed for repairs. In road biking news, you’ll find a lovely day on the pavement today with just moderate wind. Tomorrow will be nearly perfect, with just light east wind and temps nearing 80. The balsamroot is going off in The Dalles, and the blossoms are starting to show in the Hood River Valley. Get out and ride!
Upcoming Events
Coming up this evening, there’s pickup touch rugby at the Waterfront Park at 5:30, community yoga at Flow at 4:30, $12 Prime Rib at Cebu from 5pm to 9pm, and community meditation with the monks from Pacific Hermitage at Yoga Samahdi at 6:30pm. Tomorrow, there’s meditation at Flow Yoga at 8:15am, there’s community Hatha Yoga at the Heartgate Sanctuary at 8:30am, there’s Aikido at Trinity Natural Medicine at 6pm, and there’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory at 5pm. Coming up this weekend on Sunday, the HRATS have another Post Canyon work party. It’s meeting at 9am at Family Man.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
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