By Rod Hill on 2010-12-05
I want to take a second and clarify the meaning of the snow level I list on the 5-Day Snow Forecast, found on the Mt. Hood Weather page.
The snow level is the elevation at which all precipitation will fall as snow. The snow level is typically 1,000 feet below the freezing level in the atmosphere and is also the ground elevation that snow will stick and accumulate.
The last few days, the true snow level has been near and above 4,000 feet, although surface freezing temperatures have been closer to 2,000 feet at times. What this means is that an icy wintry mix of moisture is possible at elevations near freezing and up to the snow level. At snow level and above, no mix, simply all snow.
So, if the snow level is 6,000 feet and Government Camp at 4,000' reports a temperature of 28 degrees, you know that a mix of sleet and or freezing rain will be possible until you reach 6,000 feet when all moisture will become snow.
Hope this makes sense!
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