A powerful offshore low sets up off the coast today, setting up a light wind start today. As the low moves closer to the coast this afternoon, it sends a front our way. Timing is going to be everything with this setup. I’m thinking we’ll see 17-20 by midday at Stevenson and in the corridor. Winds build from there, but it’s going to be gusty and short-lived, most likely. Having said that, I think we’ll see a couple hours of 24-28 late this afternoon at all sorts of random spots (probably 90 minutes at the Hatch and longer at Stevenson), with a slight chance of 30+ and a slight chance of annoyingly strong gradients with no visible wind (check Avery and Celilo if that happens… the wind hides there).
The front blasts through the Gorge tonight, leaving us with wind remnants in the eastern Gorge tomorrow morning. Overall, Thursday is looking pretty uneventful, maybe 17-20 or so.
Starting Friday, several fall-like, wet cold fronts smash into the Norhtwest. This will shift winds into the eastern desert. At this point, it’s hard to tell how windy it will be, but I’m guessing westerlies will hold through the weekend.
But the weekend’s a long ways away. Tomorrow night, local photography phenom Richard Hallman has a slideshow of Gorge sports images at Dog River coffee at 8pm. His photos are fanatastic, and his slideshows are more like parties, so go check it out!
In other news, you skiers, riders and freeheelers, the snow level is forecast at 8,000 feet on Saturday, and that means it’s time to talk skiing. Meadows launched their new website yesterday, and season passes are officially on sale.
Have a great day today!
