Random Morning Thoughts
I’m not a wealthy person, as you might have guessed. I don’t have a trust fund, and I’m not a lottery winner. I can heat my house, occasionally go out to dinner, and buy myself a nice bike every few years, and I’m very thankful for those things. But there are also things I covet, lusting after them for years without any real hope that I can, in good conscience, spend the money. No, not a White Sprinter Van, but that was a good guess. You know, things like a Tesla, fine art to hang on my walls, a massage more than once a year, and a front-loading washing machine. No, I’m serious. I’ve been lusting after a front-loader forever.
Between all the sports I do and the dirty rags from cleaning houses (I have a couple openings on my schedule, btw), I was doing laundry in my tiny washer almost every day. But it worked, so I wasn’t going to spend hundreds of dollars for a new one. My friends Mike and Angela gave me a front-loading washer and dryer yesterday. I am so touched and so stoked. They could have sold their old units when they bought new ones, but instead they gave them to me. I didn’t cry in front of them, but I’m kinda teared up now.
So, my point today is to give thanks to these folks for being so nice to me, but it’s also to remind everyone to pay it forward. Do kind and generous things for others, because you’ll make the world a better, happier place. As soon as I have these units all hooked up and running, I’ll have a functional, but quirky, stacker unit that can go to a good home. For free. Pay it forward, peeps.
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Mt. Hood Snow – snow at 5000’, wind at treeline
There’s not much good to see in the forecast for Mt. Hood, and there’s not much snow on the ground. Taking that into consideration, Meadows decided last night to stop running lifts until they get more snow. So, don’t go driving up there to shred Buttercup and the park today. Hopefully soon.
Today looks cloudy on Mt. Hood, with light showers, flurries, sleet and freezing rain possible all day for less than .1” water value. The snow level will slowly rise, with temps between 5000′ and 7500′ climbing to the mid-30’s today. Heavier rain moves in after midnight, for somewhere between .2-.7” water value with the snow level at 7500′. Wind today will be SE 20 early and SW 15 in the afternoon.
Thursday starts off cloudy and rainy with the snow level around 7000′. Nothing will change during the day. Between 4am and 4pm, Mt. Hood will receive .2-.7” rain (sorry – disagreement in the models), and another 1.2” or so will fall overnight. Wind on Thursday will be SW 30-35 all day.
Friday looks cloudy with a few sprinkles during the day. The snow level will be 7000′-8000′. Heavier precip, 1” or so total, moves in after sunset, falling mostly as rain and then leaving a dusting of snow on Saturday morning. Wind on Friday will be SW 25 early and SSW 30 in the afternoon.
The snow level hovers around 5500′ on Saturday morning with a few orographic snow flurries possible. No significant accumulation. By afternoon, the snow level will rise to 7000′. Wind on Saturday will be SW 40 early and SW 15 in the afternoon. If long-range models are correct, we’ll stay in a warm and wet cycle for the next week. But you know how I feel about long-range models… not very useful, and in this case, depressing. Let’s ignore them and pray for snow instead.
Gorge Wind
It’s still nuking in the western Gorge. Iwind/iKite is reporting 52 at Rooster and 23 at Steven’s Locks this morning. Expect the Steven’s Locks number to pick up and the Rooster number to hold today. Tomorrow starts with 40-50 at Rooster, falling to 30-40 in the afternoon. Friday starts with east wind at 20-25 at Rooster, with easterlies at 30-35 in the afternoon.
Gorge Weather
Once again, it’s a tricky forecast for the Gorge. We were just below freezing, at 31 degrees, this morning, and there are a few light echoes headed this way on the radar. The GFS and ECMWF missed the showers this morning. The HRRR is showing it, but the current model run expired at 3am, so I don’t have a good model for today. Let’s call it cloudy with a chance of freezing drizzle. Temps are forecast to rise above freezing today, but given the fact that they didn’t yesterday, let’s stick with a chance of freezing drizzle today, increasing after noon, and really increasing after midnight. No rainbows.
Given the massive east gradient (.28 this morning), and the cold air pool in eastern OR/WA (temps in the teens and 20’s), I think it’s pretty likely we’ll stay below freezing tonight. With quite a bit of moisture set to hit the Gorge around 1am Thursday, we’ll likely see .1-.2”+ of freezing rain, with more possible in Odell and Parkdale, where it will take longer to warm up. Even if Hood River escapes with plain-jane-rain, Parkdale and Odell are unlikely to be spared. Freezing rain continues on Thursday until temps rise above freezing (please let that happen early, because I have to drive to Vancouver around noon), and heavier rain, just plain rain, continues overnight into Friday. So, just to be more specific, expect temps in the low 30’s tomorrow morning and mid 30’s (please?) in the afternoon. Chance of rainbows is 17%.
Friday starts off with plenty of low clouds and a few showers, becoming just-plain-cloudy, with rain moving in late in the evening. Temps will be in the mid 30’s early and the upper 30’s in the afternoon (NOAA can take its prediction of 43 degrees and put it somewhere else than here). Chance of rainbows is 16%.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
It’s pretty frozen out there, and that means you’ll find some good mountain biking this morning. You’ll probably want to get it today, because we’re going to start seeing temps above freezing after today, and that’s going to turn everything to mud for a few days, especially given the amount of rain we’re going to get Thursday, Thursday night, and Friday night.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
Upcoming Events
Today is Wednesday, and you already missed a dark morning of stairs and intervals with the Hood River Running Club. That’s okay, because I missed it too. If you’re feeling really chilly tonight, head to Andrew’s for ‘This SUP Movie’ bound to warm your heart (or inspire burning jealousy, another kind of warmth) with film of people playing in warm water and warm weather. Also tonight, there’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory. There’s a ski flick, ‘Days of our Youth’, playing at Andrew’s tomorrow night, and there’s community yoga, free or by donation, at 6:30 in White Salmon. Coming up Friday, it’s the annual Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony in Hood River. White Salmon has ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Salmon’ all day on Saturday, with a pancake breakfast, parade, cocoa, and cider.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
