Yesterday was a pretty amazing day on Mt. Hood. At one point yesterday evening, there had been 4.6” water value (WV) at Mt. Hood Meadows over the previous 24 hours. Almost all of that fell as rain, with 3” of snow at the tail end of the storm. This next system looks more conducive to snow. However, both NOAA and I are calling it “tricky”, with the timing of the warmer air really difficult to predict. As I said yesterday, on some level we’re just playing wait-and-see with this one. Continued after the chart.
 |
4a-8a | 8a-12p | 12p-4p | 4p-8p | 8p-4a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today 1500′–>2000′ |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Tomorrow 500′? 2000′? |
|
 |
 |
|
|
| The Next Day 0′–>500′ |
|
|
|
|
|
Mt. Hood Snow Forecast, continued…
This morning will be mostly clear on Mt. Hood with the free air freezing level around 1500′. Clouds move in midday and light precip starts around 4pm with much heavier precip after midnight with the snow level somewhere between 500′ and 2000′. We’ll see .6” WV between 4pm today and 4am Thursday. That should fall as snow, for 6” of new. Wind will be WNW 20 early, swinging to the SW at 15-20 after midnight.
Donate and keep the forecasts coming
See below for details.
Tomorrow, Thursday, morning is very tricky. As the low pressure system moves inland, it will bring warm air. The exact storm track will determine if we see all snow or a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain tomorrow. As of right now, models predict the snow level will stay low, between 500′ and 2000′ (yeah, I know, big difference between those!). However, when the warm air associated with the second half of this system moves in, really anything could happen. So… we’ll see 1” WV (or more) between 4am and 10am tomorrow, followed by clear sky. I think we can count on 4-6” of snow, possibly as much as 7-10” of snow, even if we do see some mixed precip. Wind will be SW 20 early, becoming light and variable (LTV) and then E 10 overnight.
So, total snowfall out of this system should be 8” to 16”.
Friday looks clear and cold with the free air freezing level at the surface early and 500′ late. LTV wind early, E 20 late. Saturday looks clear and warmer, with the free air freezing level at 7500′ early and 10,000′ in the afternoon. Light S wind.
Support the forecast!
Thank you for using this forecast. Does it save you time, gas money, or help you have more fun in your life? Make a donation! Get your forecast here for free or donate and get on the mailing list for year-round wind forecasts and ski season snow forecasts. Just click on my photo to donate via PayPal or credit card. The email isn’t $99/year. Not $50/year. No, just $12.34 or more gets you on the list for 12 months, and sometimes there are cool prizes. Don’t PayPal? Send a check to Temira @ PO Box 841 in Hood River. Thank you for your support, and thank you for trusting my forecast.
Gorge Wind Forecast
Holy moly yesterday was wild! At one point, the gradients were .20+ (pdx-dls) and .20+ (dls-psc). Arlington had a reading of 50-60 at one point. I heard that White Salmon had a gust to 69mph. And obviously, the western Gorge was just as windy, with super-gusty wind taking down trees, closing both Gorge access roads, and knocking out power in various places. Things have calmed down this morning with west wind at around 20mph at most places. The wind will fade during the day, ending up at W 10-13 through the whole Gorge this afternoon.
By tomorrow morning, we’ll have east wind at 30+ at Rooster Rock. That will fade a bit in the afternoon and ramp back up to E 40 (and freezing cold) on Friday morning. Saturday also looks freezing cold with east wind at 30+.
Random Morning Thoughts
Let’s talk about yesterday’s storm. As many of you heard, I-84 eastbound and SR-14 were both closed for periods of time last night, and I-84 eastbound remains closed from Troutdale eastward this morning due to hazard trees. Last I heard, NPR was reporting that I-84 eastbound will remain closed for much of today. So, if you are attempting to access I-84 eastbound today, check Tripcheck before you hop in the car!
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
Yesterday was a mighty interesting one, wasn’t it? We’ll start out partly cloudy today with increasing clouds this afternoon and very heavy rain overnight after midnight. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and the low 50’s this afternoon. The wind will decrease to nothing in the afternoon and switch to easterly overnight. No rainbows.
Tomorrow starts out with pouring rain, finishing up by around 1pm. The day will end with showers and partly cloudy or clear sky. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and the low 40’s in the afternoon. There’s a very good chance of freezing rain and/or snow above 500′ early tomorrow morning, so you may want to visit Les Schwab today. Moderate east wind. 71% chance of rainbows.
Friday starts out clear and cold, or perhaps with a Nothing cloud. Temps will be in the low 30’s early and the mid 40’s in the afternoon. East wind. No rainbows. ICY ROADS. As of right now, Saturday and Sunday looks dry, but it’s looking very likely we’ll have a big inversion on Saturday with a day-long Nothing. Now, we need to talk about next Tuesday: models are predicting an outbreak of Arctic air. Brrr. Cold. Yucky.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
We had 1.7” of rain yesterday, and that’s enough to shut down the trails due to mud. Next up: loss of the upper-elevation trails due to snow, followed by freeze-thaw conditions on the lower elevation trails. The official warning is now in effect: if it was below freezing last night and is above freezing now, don’t ride the trails or you’ll do major damage.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
Riverside Grill Thanksgiving Dinner
Enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at Riverside Grill at the Hood River Inn so you can play hard on Thanksgiving Day! Delicious plated dinners served from 11:00 am to 8 pm. Menu includes Thanksgiving Turkey dinner with yummy trimmings, Prime Rib, Columbia King Salmon or Vegetarian Thanksgiving, with appropriate side dishes. (Gluten-free or other dietary restrictions always happily accommodated!) Reservations are recommended. Call 541-386-4410 or visit www.riversidehoodriver.com for the complete menu. Happy Thanksgiving!
Upcoming Events
It’s Wednesday. There’s community meditation (free) at Flow Yoga at 8:15 this morning. There’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory tonight at 5:30 ($5), and there’s Aikido at Trinity Natural Medicine in Hood River at 6pm. Coming up tomorrow night at 6:30pm, there’s Zumba at the Mt. Hood Community Center, Tai Chi at Our Savior Church in Bingen, and free yoga at Yoga Samadi (taught by Tish). There’s also kayak polo tomorrow night at 8pm at the Hood River pool.
NWTA has work parties scheduled for Falls Creek both days this weekend, meeting at Backwoods Brewing at 8am both days. These work parties are “weather-permitting”, and may not happen given the forecast. Stay tuned for details.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
