8/14 Gorge wind and events

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Before you read on, please remember that this report (wind, snow and events, year round, almost every day – WOW!) is brought to you free of charge. It’s my hobby, but it’s valuable to you, and I put it out here free so you can make the most of your free time. But there are five times as many people using the forecast for free as there are making donations. We all know windsurfers and kiters and skiers can make a small donation to keep a good thing going. So we’re trying something through Labor Day. You can get this forecast as an email for $12. That gets you in the running for a few prizes here and there, and from now on it’ll give you consistency (on the 98% of days I write a forecast. Admit it, that’s pretty amazing for one chick working by herself!). Here’s the scoop: If I get donations totaling $15 or more on a given day, I’ll post a forecast the next day. If not, only the people on the mailing list get the forecast. Thanks for understanding that I have to make a living, and thank you for your support!

Tomorrow’s forecast status: Updated 11:57pm. Thank you!

Today’s going to be the windiest and the coolest day this week – but that’s not really saying much, with a high today near 85 – as a weather system north of us brings a few clouds to Portland. We’ll have west wind at 15-18 early this morning, picking up to 22-25, maybe a little more, midday. I really was hoping we’d see more marine clouds this morning, but no such luck. Strongest wind this morning will be Stevenson to Hood River, and the strongest wind later will be from Hood River to The Dalles. The weather system sneaking by today could make the wind gusty and unreliable, at least in the morning. Watch for high clouds to signify its arrival or departure.

We might see some light west wind early tomorrow, but it won’t last. As high pressure builds inland, we’ll see a quick switch to east wind at 21-24 near Stevenson. East wind continues Thursday, and then on Friday, we’ll see no wind, high clouds, humidity, highs near 100, and a chance of thunderstorms. Same goes for Saturday, but by Sunday, we should see west wind and cooler weather.

If you’re thinking of escaping to the coast, today looks like 15-18 north and 20-25 central. Tomorrow looks similar. After that, no wind, light wind, or light south wind through the weekend. Swell is 3-4 foot at 12-14 seconds, so good. The medium-period west swell should hold through the weekend, when there’s a slight chance of a very long period south swell hitting the coast. If you can go coastal today and tomorrow, you have a pretty good chance of having a good trip. And if you go later in the week, you should get some good surfing.

Coming up on Friday,19 year-old (assuming I did the math correctly), world famous waterman Kai Lenny brings the free, grom-only, Postively Kai standup paddle race to Hood River. You can sign up at PositivelyKai.com. Like I said, it’s free, with lunch for the kids, demo boards after the races, and a chance to paddle with all the pro paddlers in town for the Naish Paddle Challenge next weekend.

Finally, remember we are at Fire Danger Level 3 now in Oregon. In addition to County lands being closed to motorized use, all SDS lands, including the Whoopdee and East Ridge trails are now closed to foot and bike traffic. The landowners made the decision yesterday after looking at the fire danger. Also, the trails on Kreps land are closed too. That means all trails are now (temporarily) closed on Hospital Hill. Seriously. No joking. SDS will be enforcing the closures. Using Kreps’ trails at this time, after we’ve been asked not to, could jeopardize our relationship with them. Please, find somewhere else to hike/bike/walk the dog. I know, the options are limited. Maybe it’s time to go surfing, rather than biking!

Have a great day today!

Temira