PORTLAND, Ore. — An onslaught of rain is expected to hit the Portland metro area over the next couple of days. At Mount Hood, heavy precipitation has caused other problems.
"The snow conditions are not going to be pleasant; the weather is not going to be pleasant," Robert Hahn, a meteorologist at the Northwest Avalanche Center said.
Avalanches and flooding could be concerns over the next few days at Mount Hood, Hahn said.
"I do anticipate some dangerous or very dangerous conditions to continue on the mountain," Hahn said.
Workers at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort said the temperature is still too warm for rain to turn into snow, leading the resort to postpone opening.
"It really makes for a fragile snow surface," explained Tyler Barnes, the director of the Mount Hood Meadows learning center.
Originally, Mount Hood Meadows planned to open Saturday. In a one-day period, the resort received 34 inches of snow. The snowpack has not yet set in, and heavy rain is making skiing and snowboarding conditions worse as well, Barnes said.
"The safety's key for the riders,” Romeo Allen, a lift operator at Mount Hood Meadows, said. “So that's what we've got to keep in mind all the time."
Timberline Lodge did decide to open Sunday.
"Anyone out there trying to get early laps was definitely having fun,” said Zach Karsay, a Timberline lift operator, “and the stoke was good."
Trails were safe Sunday, Karsay said. Still, Timberline Lodge does plan to close the next three days.
Despite the incoming bad weather, lodges expect conditions to improve by Friday, when they will open for the season.
"Oh, it's going to be awesome," Barnes said.