Wednesday: poop and parking - The Gorge is my Gym

Thank you for using this forecast. Like it? Find it useful? Support it (and me!) by sending some cash my way. Why should you keep doing this when you’re under a stay-at-home order? Because my bills don’t stop – I hope you’ll consider contributing even though the world has ground to a standstill. That’ll keep the forecast going through this crisis, and it’ll mean the forecast is here when we all emerge from our homes. What’s it cost to support me and get the email version? Not $99 a year. Nope. Not $49. Just $19.99 or more gets you a year. Click below to contribute. Thank you!!

Credit card payments use this button

Click here to use your PayPal
Venmo: @theGorgeismyGym
Snail Mail: PO Box 841, Hood River, Oregon 97031
(note: I am not a non-profit entity. The only way to accept credit cards with a user-defined amount is to use the ‘donate’ button. Thanks for understanding!)

Auto-renewing subscription. New! Awesome!

The Forecast

Your favorite beach	Dawn Patrol	9am- 11:30a	11:30a- 3pm	3pm- dusk
Today’s Gorge Wind – these are ranges for the average speed, not a predicted wind range. =)
LTW	LTW	14-17	22-25

Gorge Wind Forecast

Light westerlies on Tuesday slowly build through Saturday, assuming you’ve got faith in those long range models. High pressure over the region on Tuesday keeps the wind relatively light (it’ll be stronger at the coast if you’re in need of a fix). We’ll see light and variable wind this morning through early afternoon. Thermals late in the day kick the wind up to 13-16 from Stevenson to Mosier or so. River flow is 233kcfs and temp is 64 degrees.

Wednesday starts out with 10-13 from Viento to Swell with light and variable wind everywhere else. Calm to light wind holds everywhere except Viento (maybe) through mid-afternoon, and then it starts to build. Afternoon westerlies rise to 22-25 from Stevenson to The Dalles. Wait till the evening, and you’ll have Rufus too.

Thursday sees a bit of a shift in the weather as a trough approaches the NW in the evening. This will give a little kick to the wind, but will probably (as often happens) be a little later than the models suggest now. Thursday morning starts with 13-16 from Viento to Swell. That holds most of the day. After 2pm, the wind picks up to 23-26 from Stevenson to The Dalles and 20-23 near Rufus.

Model ensembles don’t agree on the strength of the wind Friday and Saturday, but they do agree those will be the strongest days of the next five. The GFS operational run today is the bright light, giving us 29-33 at Swell on Friday and 26-29 on Saturday. Lighter wind is in the forecast for Sunday. Two announcements to start the day. First, the Dalles wastewater treatment plant had an “oops” yesterday and discharged some poopy water. They’ve posted “contaminated water” signs in The Dalles, at Doug’s, and at Mayer Park. Next, the Port of Hood River will be reducing parking capacity on weekends at the Event Site starting this weekend. They are taking this step in response to park users not following social distancing rules. “Crowds Lead to Closures” is a real thing; the Port is doing their best to keep the waterfront open, but they will not hesitate to take further steps.

So, on weekends from now on: no more parking along the south curb in the Event Site. No more overflow parking in Lot 1. When the Event Site is full, the chain goes up for an hour. When 15 spots open, the chain goes down. This is very similar to how ski resorts manage parking, and seems to be the best system, so support the Port in whatever way you can. Please maintain distancing, or more drastic measures may happen. Please plan accordingly, and please spread the word. It is highly likely the Event Site will park out. Okay. On to the wind. Wednesday, despite a 0.08 gradient to start, will be light in the morning. As Portland heats up midday, it’s likely the wind will hold in the less-than-10 range. By early to mid-afternoon, offshore high pressure and thermal assistance from the desert brings the westerlies to 17-20 from Stevenson to Mosier with 12-15 from Lyle to Doug’s (where, you’ll remember, there may be E. coli in the water! You’ll want to be on the water – high temp today will be around 90.

Thursday sees a trough approaching the coast. That’ll give a little nudge to the marine layer and knock temps down a few degrees in the city. This helps the westerlies. Morning wind will be 7-10 from Viento to Swell with light wind elsewhere. Expect 10-13 from Stevenson to Mosier by midday. Afternoon westerlies take the force of the approaching trough and run with it; we’ll see 24-27 from Stevenson to The Dalles with 15-18 near Rufus. It’ll also be muggy and 85 degrees, making for a nice day to be in the water.

Friday sees the marine layer push as far east as Hood River. Good sign, right? The day starts with dawn patrol at 21-24 at Viento and Mosier with gusty 15-18 between them. As the clouds burn off, the westerlies grow; let’s call it 29-33 from Stevenson to Mosier for the morning and 29-33 from Stevenson to Avery in the afternoon. Celilo to Arlington join in with 22-26 late in the afternoon. Saturday: 27-31. Sunday: 22-25.

Coast, Jones, Sauvie’st

Coast (north/central/south – swell forecast provided by NWS. Wind northerly except as noted). Wednesday: 20-25/30-35/35-40, NW swell 5′ at 8 seconds. Thursday: 10-15/15-20/30-40, NW 5′ @ 10. Friday: 15-20/20-25/30-40, NW 6′ @ 10. Jones Wednesday: 13-16. Thursday: 23-26. Friday: 15-18. Sauvie’s Wednesday: 17-20. Thursday: 17-20. Friday: 13-16.

Oregon
Rooster Rock: Open
Viento: Open
The Hook: Open
Waterfront Park: Open
Event Site: Open. Parking limited on weekends.
The Spit: Open
The Marina: Open
Boat ramp: open
Mosier: Only open for residents of 97040. Gate closed.
Rowena: Open
Celilo: Open
Rufus: Open
Arlington: Open
Threemile: Open

Mt. Hood Weather Forecast

Mt. Hood Meadows is now allowing uphill travel within the permit area. However, you will need to park outside their parking lots. Timberline is open for lift-serve skiing with exemplary guidelines for protecting guests and staff from the transmission of novel coronavirus. Please read their guidelines and rules here. Well done, T-Line! The Mt. Hood weather forecast will be on vacation unless something interesting happens in the weather up there. Some of you will be tempted to go out backcountry skiing. Please don’t – accidents do happen, and you may put others at risk. Timberline is allowing uphill access outside the permit area on the climbers’ trail ONLY.

Hood River Weather Forecast

Wednesday will be sunny all day. Temps will be in the low 60’s early and right around 90 later. Light wind most of the day. Moderate westerlies in the afternoon and evening. No rainbows. Thursday will also be sunny, and it will be muggy. Temps will be in the low 60’s early and mid 80’s later. Light wind through midday. Moderate to strong westerlies in the evening. No rainbows. Friday will be sunny. Temps start in the low 60’s and max out near 80. Strong to very strong west wind. No rainbows (except on the river). Looking for a complete Columbia Gorge forecast? Looking for more humor in your weather? Obscenities? You’re looking for my TATAS: Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.

Cycling

The Rowena Curves (below the crest) are closed through today, 9am-3pm, for chip-sealing. Eldorado in Post Canyon has reopened. The new Whoopdee trail is being constructed. Contact HRATS if you would like to be part of some small and socially distanced work parties. Syncline/Coyote Wall: Open. Mt. Hood National Forest: Open for day use. Everything from Gunsight Ridge down is open. Kreps/SDS: open. Sandy Ridge: Open. Nestor Peak: open. Falls Creek: open. Columbia Hills State Park: open. Syncline: open. Skamania County trails outside the scenic area: open. Ape Canyon: Open!

Sprinter Van of the Week!

Click here for the Sprinter Van map of the world!!!

Local Events

Cheno leads a workout at Hood River Valley High School every Monday at 6pm. There are sailboat races at the Hood River Marina every Wednesday evening. Dirty Fingers has a group mountain bike ride Thursday night at 5:30pm. The 1000 kilometer Race Across Oregon starts Friday, the HooptieX race is Saturday in Glenwood, and there’s a gathering of old Ford Pickups in Goldendale Saturday. Click here for the full events calendar.

Statement on Racial Justice

Black Lives Matter. I say that with no reservations and no caveats, and I stand with Black, indigenous, and other people of color against structural racism, against mass incarceration, against police violence, against unequal treatment, against outright racism, and against any other sorts of targeted behaviors or systems. In June, I donated 10% of the income from this forecast to the National Black Justice Coalition. I encourage you to find a cause and contribute too. Don’t have financial resources? Speak up!

I pledge to speak out against racism, and I pledge to be a humble ally who is willing to look at the ways that I benefit personally from racist structures in this society. I will continue to speak up and help wake up others, and I will listen quietly when people of color need me to.

I ask that all of you also reflect on the ways you benefit from racist societal structures. I recommend reading “White Fragility” and “How to be an Anti-Racist”. Don’t have much time? Read “Unpacking the Knapsack of White Privilege”. Watch the movie “13th”. When others confront you about your racism, take a deep breath, listen quietly, and attempt to quell your natural defensiveness. We have been raised in a society founded on slavery and racism. These values (and yes, some people hold them as values) remain entrenched in our society in subtle and not-so subtle ways. I challenge you to learn to see them so that you can learn to undo them. We can’t undo the damage that’s been done, and we don’t have the right to ask for forgiveness, but we can work to create a more equitable world going forward.
Have an awesome day!
Temira
Share on Facebook
Follow us
Save