Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
This morning (Wednesday) is starting off clear on the mountain, and the sun should stay out all day. The free air freezing level will be at 5000′ by sunrise, rising to 6000′ tonight. No precip. Light NW wind early turns to S 10 in the afternoon and SW 15 overnight. Continued after the chart…
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4a-8a | 8a-12p | 12p-4p | 4p-8p | 8p-4a |
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| Wednesday 5000′->6000′ |
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| Thursday 6000′->1500′ |
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| Friday 1500′->0′ |
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast, continued…
Thursday starts off partly cloudy or clear, turns cloudy midday, and sees snow after 4pm. The snow level will be 6000′ early, dropping to 4000′ or so when the precip hits and falling to 1500′ after midnight. We’ll see .5-.6” water value (WV) between 4pm Thursday and 4am Friday, for 5-6” of regular old new snow. Wind on Thursday will be SW 15 early, WSW 35 in the afternoon, and light SW after midnight.
Friday looks quite interesting, and models are not agreeing on a solution. We can start with the snow level: 1500′ in the morning, falling to less than 500′ in the afternoon. It currently looks like we’ll see a weak system in the morning for a few inches of new snow. The afternoon is where the models diverge: an upper level low starts out along the CA/OR border and moves either east or northeast. The former leaves us mostly dry. The latter gives us 6” or so of new snow. It’s really not possible to make a prediction until the models begin to converge on a solution.
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast, finished
That uncertainty breeds more uncertainty further out in the forecast. For now, it looks like Saturday will be mostly dry during the day with light snowfall overnight. Sunday looks to bring light orographic snow flurries. But that’s a bit speculative at this point, so let’s not make solid plans for the weekend based on this, okay?
Hood River Soaring
Glider rides for holiday gifts!
Give a gift certificate this winter to enjoy a scenic glider ride next spring and introduce a friend or family member to the thrill of soaring. Experience a grand view of the snow capped mountains, river valleys, verdant orchards and countryside that make the Hood River valley a truly unique and breathtaking place to fly. Your purchase supports Hood River Soaring’s goal to help young people discover their potential by learning to fly.
Gorge Wind Forecast
Light and variable wind this morning gives way to east wind at 40-45 this afternoon. Thursday starts with E 35-40 and goes light and variable in the afternoon. Friday brings light east wind in the morning and E 20-25 in the afternoon.
Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast
If you click right here , you’ll find NOAA’s coast forecast.
Random Morning Thoughts
Today is the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. For many people, this darkness triggers a matching inner darkness. Although there are ways to combat this – happy lights, exercise, companionship, adequate sleep, medication – they aren’t always 100% effective.
This leaves people feeling sub-par, wishing they could have more of an impact on their emotional state. Sometimes people feel angry with themselves, frustrated that they just can’t regain a summer level of happiness. That aggravates the pain.
The only cure for what remains after other methods have failed is acceptance. Fighting with the winter blues will only make them worse. Acknowledging them and patiently waiting for them to pass will lower distress levels. Seasonal depression probably serves some evolutionary purpose – dropping our metabolism in lean times, keeping us indoors and away from dangerous weather, getting us in bed where summer babies can be created…
I guess what I’m saying is this: if the darkness has you feeling dark, give yourself a break. If you’re treating yourself with care, you’re doing the best you can. It’ll take a little time, but the darkness, as you know, will lift. In the meantime, head to the mountain for sun. For those of you who are lucky enough to avoid the winter blues, be kind to your friends who seem a little sadder and more withdrawn than usual. Be awesome to each other. Have an awesome day.
Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist (but I could be 40 graduate school credits from now). 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. One other thing: I plan to keep doing this forecast indefinitely, even when I am a therapist.
Gorge Weather Forecast
It’s clear and cold out there this morning, and that’s pretty much how the day will go today. Temps will be in the upper 20’s early and the mid 30’s in the afternoon. Light wind turns easterly later in the day. No rainbows. Thursday looks cloudy to start with rain from midday on. Temps will be in the mid 20’s early and the mid 30’s in the afternoon. Models insist we’ll be warm enough for rain by the time the moisture hits, but it’s worth being on alert for frozen precip, given the east wind. Friday looks very interesting, and models are all over the place. If the GFS is correct, we’ll see a few inches of snow in the afternoon and overnight. If not, we’ll see rain or dry weather. So, yeah, no real prediction for Friday. Looks like we’ll see snow flurries Saturday afternoon into Sunday.
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
You can ride your bike if you have a fat bike. Heck, you might actually be able to get out for a road ride today, especially on the Petersburg Loop where there’s no gravel.
Upcoming Events
It’s Wednesday morning. There’s community meditation at Flow at 8:15. There’s community yoga at the FISH food bank at 10am. There’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory at 5pm and Zumba at the Parkdale Community Center at 6:30pm. Today is the Winter Solstice. I am sure there are lots of events happening to celebrate the return of the light!
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
