Thursday: less wind than yesterday, but still plenty for you!

The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best wind forecast for the Gorge.

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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. =)
Steven’s Locks	19-22	21-24	23-26	22-26
Viento	19-22	21-24	22-26	22-26
Swell-Hood River	19-22	21-24	23-26	19-22
Lyle to Doug’s	13-19	16-19	20-23	23-26
Rufus, etc.	16-19	16-19	20-23	23-26
Roosevelt & Arlington	16-19	13-16	10-13	10-13

Gorge Wind Forecast

Another epic day yesterday leads to a less-windy day today. Don’t read that as not-windy. There will still be plenty of wind for you! Stronger wind is forecast for both Friday and Staurday. Things get a bit messy on Sunday with a chance of evening rain. That said, models are still calling for mid to upper 20’s east of The Dalles. If we switch to the ensembles, we see… wind! They put the cash on Friday, Saturday, and Monday for the three windiest days of the next five. Yes, this forecast is biased towards strong wind. What can I say… windsurfer at heart!

Thursday kicks off with pressures of 30.18/30.08/30.08 and strong offshore high pressure for gradients of 0.10 and 0.05. Westerlies started the day in the upper teens to low 20’s all the way from Stevenson to Arlington. With cool air all the way east to the border with Idaho, we’re not going to get the thermal support we’ve had over the last couple of days, and that’ll limit max speeds. Midday westerlies rise to 21-24 from Stevenson to Doug’s with 14-17 east to Arlington. Afternoon westerlies rise to 22-26 (less to the west, more east of Hood River) from Stevenson to Rufus. Areas east of Rufus will likely languish and drop to the low double digits or less. River flow yesterday was 168-182kcfs, river temp is 63F, and high temp forecast is 76F.

Good things happen on Friday. Offshore high pressure combines with an incoming cold front (and cold air), and the desert heats up more than Thursday. While the wind starts light, 11-14 from Stevenson to Hood River and 7-10 out east, it won’t stay light. By late morning, the unicorns and rainbows return with 24-27 from Stevenson to Rufus. Practice patience, and you’ll get 27-31+ from Lyle to Arlington. West of Lyle, between Viento and Mosier, we’ll probably see the wind drop to the upper teens to low 20’s as that cold front gets closer. Stevenson is likely to hold in the mid 20’s. High temp: 77F. Looks lovely. Naturally, I’m working. You get some for me!

Cold air will be locked in place on the west side all day Saturday. How cold? Well, cold enough to keep marine clouds around, and cold enough to send the snow level down below 5000′ in the evening. The desert wants no part of this. It retains heat. Result: 15-18 to start (Stevenson to Hood River), and 26-30+ in the afternoon (Swell to Arlington or Mosier to Arlington). High temp: 68F. It’s worth noting that there’s a fair bit of model uncertainty on Saturday. Despite the agreement in the ensembles that we’ll have a windy day, the details of the forecast could change.

Models are in better agreement on Sunday: cloudy, cool, with some evening rain possible. This will send you scrambling eastward for the wind. As of right now, the forecast is mid to upper 20’s. You’ll only find that wind east of The Dalles. The west side stays cool, cloudy, and lighter. Models hint at another round of moderately strong westerlies on Monday. Let’s leave it there for now. Have a great day today!

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Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast

Wind speed in knots. Direction Northerly unless otherwise noted for Coast. Westerly for Jones. Northerly for Sauvie Island. North/Central/South, waves. Wave forecast provided by NWS. Thursday: 10-15/15-20/35+, NW swell 6′ @ 9 seconds. Friday: 5-10/10-15/30-35, NW 4′ @ 8. Saturday: 15/15/25-30, NW 6′ @ 10. Jones Thursday: 19-22. Friday: 11-14. Saturday: 15-18. Sauvie Island Thursday: 10-13. Friday: 15-18. Saturday: 11-14.

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

On vacation until fall unless something extraordinary happens.

Hood River Weather Forecast

High overcast sky this morning turns mostly clear later. Temps will be in the low 50’s early and mid 70’s this afternoon. Moderately strong westerlies. No rainbows. Friday will be mostly high overcast. Temps start near 50 and rise to the upper 70’s. Strong westerlies. No rainbows. Saturday starts with low clouds which burn off to reveal high clouds. Temps start in the mid 50’s and rise to the upper 60’s. Moderate westerlies early. Strong westerlies later. No rainbows. Rain is possible Sunday evening.

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.

Local-ish Events

Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know! Coming up Sunday, there’s a swap meet at Windance. It’s the Backyard Half in White Salmon on Saturday. The Pray for Wind party is at Kickstand on Saturday.

Regular weekly events: NK Studios in Bingen has a donation-based yoga class at 7:30am every Tuesday. Ferment’s Tuesday night 4-mile walk/run is at 6pm. There’s meditation with monks at 5:15pm (an hour) and 6:30pm (30 minutes plus a talk) at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon. At 7:15am on Wednesdays, there’s a run from the White Salmon Bakery. At 7am on Friday morning, there’s a run from Pine Street Bakery. On Fridays at 2:30pm, there’s a free meditation and stretching class at Yoga Samadhi. On Saturday at 9am, there’s a by-donation outdoor group fitness on the 2rd floor deck above Ferment Brewing.

Regular bike rides (thanks to the Hood River Area Trail Stewards for collecting). Tuesday is Mountain View’s ride. Meet at 5:45pm on Post Canyon Drive where the pavement ends. Wednesday is the Evo/Kickstand all-ability, no-drop Post Canyon ride. 5:30 from the shop or join along the way. All abilities welcome. Thursday is Mountain View’s women’s ride. 5:30pm, Seven Streams Trailhead. No drop. Thursday is also the Dirty Fingers Post and Pint. 5:30 from the shop or later at Family Man. This is hardcore, race-pace. Saturday morning is the Mountain View road/gravel ride. Two hours. 12-14mph average speed. Starting May 6th, Oregon Ebikes has the women’s ride at 8:30am. Meet at Seven Streams parking lot for a 1.5 to 2 hour ride.

Cycling

How much rain do you need to make brown pow out of dust? Somewhere between 0.1” and 0.25”. Maybe late this weekend or early next week! Post is clear of snow to the top. Dog River and Surveyor’s are clear. Bottle Prairie, 8 Mile, Underhill, Cedar Creek, Lower Cooks, and Super Connector are open and already dusty. Fifteenmile is rideable. Super Duper Connector is open. There is still snow on a short section of Surveyor’s between the Cooks Meadow intersection and Dog River. Nestor Peak is clear of snow. The USFS website says that Lewis River is open and clear. Falls Creek isn’t even close! The Forest Loop above Trout Lake is open as is the mixed surface Sleeping Beauty/8810 loop.

Cows are in on Hospital Hill. That means dogs are no longer allowed. Even if your dog is cool. Even if you’re a local. Even if … you get the picture! Hospital Hill is private land. Please respect the wishes of the landowners – they’re generous enough to let folks use that land, and dogs have been shot there before. Please don’t ride muddy trails, or you’ll do permanent damage. Always remember to consider gravel riding! If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.

Valuable Advice for Gardeners Inhabiting Neighboring Areas

All that weeding you’ve (I’ve) been putting off will get done in the next week or so! Weeds (especially those that haven’t gone to seed) are nitrogen for your compost. Mix them in with some browns, and you’ll have a hot, quick pile fired up in no time at all!