PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a poor start to the winter sports season, Mount Hood received 30 inches of snow in the last three days.
The ongoing snow dump allowed Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Meadows to open up their slopes for the season. Ski Bowl slopes remain closed, but weekend tubing is running.
“For the first time in our 55-year history, Mt. Hood Meadows opened for the season on a Tuesday,” the ski resort stated. “That’s just the way the snow fell, and when it comes to falling snow, Meadows definitely makes the most of it, as did a modest crowd that turned out for first-day turns.”
Data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that the heavy snowfall spanned the Cascade Range and its low-lying foothills. Mount St. Helens and Mount Bachelor saw some of the heaviest snowfall in the lower 48 this week, each receiving more than 36 inches of snow.
A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect for Northern Oregon until 10 p.m. Wednesday. Rain and snow will remain possible in the greater Portland area through Thursday. Cold temperatures will persist, with an average high of 40 degrees and lows in the 30s throughout the week.
More heavy snow is likely in the Cascades on Wednesday. Snow levels are expected to drop to 500 feet on Thursday morning, before rising to 1,000 feet later in the day, where a couple of inches of snow will be possible. The rain and snow are expected to dissipate on Friday, with more rain and mountain snow possible through the weekend.
“On Wednesday, a front will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest and move eastward to the Northern and Central Rockies by Friday,” the National Weather Service predicts. “Moisture will also move onshore, producing coastal rain and higher-elevation snow over the Pacific Northwest into the Northern Intermountain Region. Heavy snow will develop over parts of the Southern Cascades.”