Friday: get a move on (read the forecast for the reasons why)

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hi friends! Boy did I wake up late today! And today’s not a day where you want to have a leisurely start. If you want what’s happening out at Rufus (30mph or so as of the time of this report), you want to jump on it. We’ll have a lighter, wetter day on Saturday followed by a near-zero wind day on Sunday. Westerlies of some sort return on Monday and Tuesday as high pressure rebuilds off the coast and a supportive temp gradient builds across the Cascades. Beyond that, we’re probably looking at easterlies and warm, dry conditions.

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Today, though, brings quite the dynamic setup. A weak low is moving inland from the west side, and a deeper low is on the east side moving towards Idaho. Instability will be present all day, and the chance of thunderstorms rises in the afternoon. Pressures as of the time of this report were 29.81/29.76/29.65 for gradients of 0.05/0.11. Move now. Westerlies pick up to 30-33mph from Maryhill to Boardman this morning. Expect it to be gusty. As the low moves inland early afternoon and the atmosphere destabilizes, the wind falls to 20mph out there and thunderstorm chances increase. Don’t be caught on the water when that happens. West of The Dalles, we’ll have less wind. The Lyle-Doug’s stretch peaks at 18-21 this morning before falling to 10-13 or less this afternoon. While Viento was reading 20-24 this morning, it’s likely to drop too. Other locations between Stevenson and Mosier should stay below 15mph all day. River flow over the last 24 hours was 90-171kcfs, river temp is 69.98F, and high temp forecast is 62F for Hood River and 66F for Arlington.

Wet, showery, cloudy, not-so-windy weather is forecast for Saturday as another system moves inland. The wind starts less than 10mph everywhere. Late morning westerlies rise to 10-13mph from Stevenson to Doug’s with gusty 18-22 from Avery to Boardman. From mid-afternoon on, the wind drops to 10-13mph everywhere. High temp: 65F for Hood River.

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Weak inland ridging on Sunday sets us up for a calm, or nearly-calm day. Looking at Monday and Tuesday, we have better chances for westerlies. Offshore high pressure rebuilds during the day Monday. This gives us a shot at 21-24 near Hood River in the afternoon. Tuesday looks similar on the deterministic GFS, but ensembles are calling for a bigger day. Keep your eyes on that one.

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Extended: Models point to warmer weather and offshore flow (east wind) starting on Wednesday. Looks like we could be in that pattern for a while. I’ll be headed off on retreat on Friday for a week (and boy do I need it), so you’ll be fending for yourselves. Have a great day on the river today!  

Jones, Sauvie Island, Oregon Coast

North/Central/South coast, waves (swell forecast provided by NWS). Wind forecast for the afternoon (unless it’s a storm on the coast, in which case that’s peak wind during the day). Wind direction N (coast/Sauvie Island) and W (Jones) unless otherwise noted. Friday: LTW/SW10-15/S20-25, NW swell 5′ at 9 seconds and W 3′ at 18. Saturday: SW1520/SW10-15/LTV, NW 3′ @ 8 and W 3′ @ 15. Sunday: N10/15-20/20-25, N 2′ @ 4 and NW 4′ @ 10. Jones Friday/Saturday: LTW. Sunday: 10-13. Sauvie Island Friday: 10-13. Saturday: LTV. Sunday: LTN.

Alan’s Sauvie Island Wind Sensor  

Mt. Hood Weather Forecast

I’m tired. It’s on vacation.  

Very basic Hood River weather forecast. Don’t plan your life around this. You really should read Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook

Clouds this morning stick around. Rain and/or thunder are possible all day. Temps start in the upper 50s and rise to the low 60s. Light westerlies. 23% chance of rainbows. Saturday will be cloudy and drizzly. Temps start in the upper 40s and rise to the mid 60s. Light westerlies. 26% chance of rainbows. Wednesday will be partly cloudy and dry. Temps start near 50 and rise to the mid 70s. Calm wind. No rainbows.  

Local-ish Events

Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know!

There’s a weekly social for Wind Johnnies (The Gorge Wind Social) at Ferment Brewing every 3rd Monday this summer. There’s a free community paddle at Wylde Wind and Water every Saturday at 10am (gear provided, all ages). They also have a free community wingfoil orientation every Thursday at 5:30pm at the Hook (all ages, gear provided). Northwave and GoFoil sponsor wingfoil races on Tuesday evenings.

The Columbia Gorge Junior Kayak Club offers free roll sessions (gear provided) for kids at the Hood River Pool every other Tuesday from 5:30 to 7pm. Visit their website for more deets: https://www.columbiagorgejuniorkayakclub.org/. Amayah’s offers a free meal every First Thursday from 1pm to 4pm. Regular weekly events:. NK Studio’s by-donation Tuesday morning yoga class is back. 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. Columbia Gorge Tri Club meets at Mayer State Park at 6pm Tuesdays. 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 about Ferment Brewing.  

Cycling

All vehicles on HR County forest roads need a gallon of water and a shovel. Fire or fire danger closures: Whoopdee, Underwood, Hospital Hill, most of Post Canyon, Gorge 400, trails around Mt. Adams, the Twin Tunnels trail between Hood River and Mosier (really, people, stop riding it – you’re disrupting fire operations according to the crews). Dog River is closed for logging and rerouting until mid-September. Open: 44 Road Trails, Ape Canyon, Lewis River, Falls Creek, Columbia Hills, Gunsight, Boulder Lakes, Siouxon, Sandy Ridge. Remember that E-bikes are not allowed on USFS non-moto trails. They are allowed on moto trails.  

Sprinter Van of the Week!

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Have an awesome day!