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Thursday: SR-14 IS OPEN! breezy every day but Saturday (and maybe late Saturday). 90+ degrees Friday through Sunday.

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

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The Forecast

Today’s Gorge Wind – these are ranges for the average speed, not a predicted wind range. =)
Your favorite beach Dawn
Patrol
9am-
11:30a
11:30a-
3pm
3pm-
dusk
Rooster Rock gray sky buns don’t fry
Stevenson 10-13 14-17 17-20 14-17
Viento 13-16 17-20 17-20 14-17
Swell -Hood River 13-16 17-20 17-20 14-17
Lyle to Doug’s 10-13 10-13 16-20 21-24
Rufus, etc. 10-13 10-13 14-17 18-21
Roosevelt & Arlington 10-13 10-13 10-13 10-13

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hey everyone! It’s the final day of this ridiculous night-before forecasting. And tomorrow’s the final day of my 5am-2pm Zoom training. Nine hours of Zoom should be outlawed. But enough about me. Let’s talk about the wind. We’ll have some Thursday (race day for the Gorge Downwind Champs), a little less on Friday, even less on a baking-hot Saturday, more on Sunday, and lots on Monday, when temps drop into the 70’s after a 90-something Sunday. And yes, before you ask, this IS the cooldown you were looking for! The Gorge downwind champs continue through Saturday, and the Bridge of the Gods Kitefest (and the blowout) are Friday through Sunday. As of this morning, SR-14 is open, but the Hatch is still closed.

But first, let’s talk about Thursday. We’ll have weak high pressure offshore and a heat low in the desert. This starts the day at (it’s really no fun guessing the night before) 13-16 or so from Viento to Swell with 10-13 at Stevenson and 10-13 east of Swell (still closed) to Arlington. Midday wind rises to 17-20 from Stevenson to Mosier with 11-14 to the east, even as far as Arlington. In the afternoon, the wind falls off in the west; we’ll have 14-17 from Stevenson to Mosier with 21-24 from Lyle to Avery, 18-21 at Rufus, and 10-13ish at Arlington. Or less at Arlington. River flow Wednesday was 111-152kcfs, river temp is 71F, and high temp forecast is 83F.

A warm, sunny, breezy day is forecast on Friday. That said, be prepared for a big midday lull as the entire region heats up. Dawn Patrol will be 16-19 from Viento to Swell with 11-14 at Stevenson, Hood River, and Mosier. East of there: 7-10. The wind east of The Dalles shuts off quickly. In the western Gorge, morning wind falls to 11-13. You’ll be waiting for the executive session for it to return. We should see 19-22 from Stevenson to The Dalles in the evening. That’ll feel amazing; 91 degrees and breezy. The place to be is definitely on the river!

Saturday’s the peak of the weekend heat wave; high temps head for 98F. This shuts down the wind for the first half of the day. In a fun twist, onshore flow returns to the metro area in the evening. This turns the wind in the Gorge onshore if it happens just early enough. As of right now, the evening session, which can’t be called the “Executive Session” on the weekend, will be 15-18 from Stevenson to Mosier.

The cooldown starts on Sunday. Thank the stars for that! Details aren’t exactly clear, but we should see westerlies in the mid-20’s or better with a high temp in the low 90’s. Monday: much cooler, just mid-70’s. Combine that with strong offshore high pressure and heat in the desert for, you guessed it, a big day on the river. See you on the water!  

FORECAST SPONSORED BY / AWESOME COMPANIES TO SUPPORT

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: 15/15/25, W swell 2′ at 14 seconds. Friday: 15-20/20-25/25-30+, W 2′ @ 15. Saturday: 20/20/25-30, W 3′ @ 15. Jones Thursday: 15-18. Friday: 13-16. Saturday: 22-25. Sauvie Island Thursday: 12-15. Friday: 14-17. Saturday: 16-19.  

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

On vacation until fall unless something extraordinary happens.  

Hood River Weather Forecast

Clear sky Thursday morning adds a few cumulus clouds later. Maybe. Temps start in the upper 50’s and rise to the low 80’s. Moderate westerlies. NO rainbows. Friday will be clear all day. Temps start in the upper 50’s and rise to the low 90’s. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Saturday starts out calm or light westerly. The wind looks light most of the day. In the evening, it becomes moderate westerly. No rainbows.

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!

This week is the Gorge Downwind Champs. Hundreds and hundreds of paddlers will be downwinding from Stevenson all week long. Bridge of the Gods Kitefest and the Blowout are Friday through Sunday.

There’s a free weekly wing foil orientation at the Hook Thursdays in July and August from 5:30pm to 7:30pm brought to you by Wylde Wind and Water and CGW2. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9am, Max from GoFoil will be teaching flatwater foil pop-up technique at the Event Site. You can demo some GoFoil gear there too! He hopes to also teach bump classes in the afternoon on those days should the Hatch reopen.

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

All trails on the 44 Road are now open. There is a fire near Boulder Lakes, and that area is under a level 3 evacuation order. That probably means Gunsight is closed at this time. Plains of Abraham is open. That completes our reporting for the summer: all trails are now open! Logging is happening on Hospital Hill. This means you cannot make a full circle – there is no connection between the front side and back side. You could ride Bad Wolf and Millennium as a loop. You can ride Roll Baby Roll and Triple Bypass as a loop. You cannot access Treehugger/Crazy Fingers at this time. 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

It’s July. You should still be succession planting lettuce and beets. Yum.  

Sprinter Van of the Week!

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

Have an awesome day!

By Temira

Temira Lital is a recreation and travel weather forecaster based in Hood River, Oregon. Temira uses they/them pronouns. They're also a mental health counselor. Temira bikes, skis, windsurfs, paddles a SUP, swims in mountain lakes, and loves gardening. Most recently they've taken up SUP foiling. Temira is powered by La Croix, protein, and beets.