Snow levels drop to 4000 ft on Mt. Hood, locals ‘hopeful’

MT. HOOD, Ore. (KOIN) — As a pocket of cold air continues to pass through the Pacific Northwest, snowfall levels on local mountains are dropping.

That means, snow is piling up at elevations as low as 4000 feet.

“We were surprised,” Portland resident Sara Harkness, who visited Timberline Lodge on Monday, said. “We were not expecting it to be snowing up here.”

Snowfall accumulation picked up on Mount Hood over the weekend, and around 2 inches of snow fell on Monday alone.

Forecasters predicted snow levels on Mount Hood to be around 4000 feet Monday morning, and back up to 4500 feet in the afternoon with some warming of temperatures.

KOIN 6 Meteorologist Riley O’Connor says this amount of snow is pretty typical for this time of the season. It was a similar scene on Mount Hood this time last year — when ski resorts opened on schedule — but because of exceptionally warm weather, snow levels dropped quickly and the mountain closed much earlier than normal.

“Last season was one of the worst in history,” Jon Tullis with Timberline Lodge said.

But Tullis says he’s more hopeful this year thanks to El Niño.

“The 20-year running average for our full winter opener with all the trails on the lower mountain open is right around November 19,” he said. “So that’s what we are hopeful for.”

Skiers and snowboarders are anxious to get back on the mountain, after what they say was a disappointing season last year.

“A lot of locals here are getting a little desperate,” snowboarder Sam Grist said. “We are yearning for snow and this is a little glimmer of hope for a good winter, hopefully.”

Snowfall levels will drop through Tuesday into Wednesday to about 3000 – 3500 feet, but the forecast for snow is also limited after an upper level trough (energy and cooler air) leaves the region.

The next best chance for some good snow accumulation on the mountain will be Thursday.