Mt. Hood sees wind gusts over 70 mph as winter conditions remain

The winter season isn't done with Mt. Hood yet as snow, wind and low visibility closes Timberline lifts Wednesday.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The winter season isn't done with Mt. Hood yet as snow, wind and low visibility closed Timberline ski lifts Wednesday.

Gusty westerly winds started to push their way back into the Mt. Hood area late Tuesday night. That's when wind gusts quickly climbed to over 50 mph just before midnight on Tuesday. Sustained winds were recorded around 50 mph early Wednesday morning and continued to stay strong through the afternoon hours.

Wednesday's windy weather closed Timberline's lifts as gusts increased to 70 mph early Wednesday. On top of the windy weather, visibility has remained extremely low due to falling and blowing snow. An additional 2" of snow has helped push Timberline's base depth to 117" Wednesday where the lodge sits at about 6,000'.

Warmer and drier weather is expected to return to Oregon's high terrain by Thursday. Timberline's lifts are expected to operate normally on Thursday, according to their Facebook post.