The Gorge Is My Gym

In looking out my window this morning, I’m only seeing one fishing boat, but I’m seeing a lot of whitecaps. That suggests you’ll want to windsurf, kite, or do your downwind-something today, rather than chasing after the 3461 Chinook and 2407 Steelhead that made it past Bonneville Dam yesterday. The gradients agree with the windsport v. fishing call today: we started off with .13 (pdx-dls) and .04 (dls-psc) and wind in the low double-digits at dawn. 15 minutes after I wrote this, the wind was already in the 21-24 range from Steven’s Locks to Hood River! Continued after the chart…

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	bare	buns	are	more fun!
Steven’s Locks	21-24	21-24	24-28	24-28
Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River)	22-25	26-30	26-30	22-25
Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena	16-19	20-24	26-30	26-30+
Rufus, etc.	0-10	13-16	24-28	26-30+
Roosevelt, etc.	0-10	13-16	24-28	26-30+

 

Gorge wind forecast, continued…

It seems perfectly reasonable to expect the morning wind to build quickly to 23-26 from Steven’s Locks to Mosier, with much stronger wind by midday. Models suggest we’ll have 26-30+ from Steven’s Locks to Arlington by early afternoon with the strongest wind concentrated near Doug’s this afternoon. There is a bit of movement in the atmosphere today, and that could impact the wind quality, especially near the “usual” beaches (Swell, Rowena, The Wall). If you see super-gusty conditions at those locations, or wind speeds that don’t match the gradients, try somewhere else: Stevenson, Mosier, Avery, or Roosevelt. One concern for me is that the 7am wind at Steven’s Locks was already stronger than the wind at Swell. Be prepared to do some chasing today!

---

Are you coming to the Gorge this weekend because of this forecast?
Make a donation!
2016 Summer Pledge Drive!

Thank you for using this forecast. Does it save you time, gas money, or help you have more fun in your life? Make a donation! Get your forecast here for free or donate and get on the mailing list for year-round wind forecasts and ski season snow forecasts. Click on my photo to donate via PayPal or credit card. The email isn’t $99/year. Not $50/year. No, just $12.34 or more gets you on the list for 12 months. Don’t PayPal? Send a check to Temira @ PO Box 841 in Hood River. Thank you for your support (and for helping me pay grad school bills), and thank you for trusting my forecast.

---

A forecast of more marine clouds on Monday morning coupled with high temps merely in the upper 70’s suggests another windy day on the water. As of this morning, it looks like Monday will start with 16-19 and progress to 23-26 in the afternoon. It looks like the strongest wind will be concentrated from Viento to Mosier early and from Steven’s Locks to Rowena in the afternoon.

High pressure starts to rebuild across the PNW on Tuesday, but we should see one more day of moderate westerlies. Models are currently suggesting 10-13 early and 13-16 in the afternoon. Wednesday now looks like a light east wind day.
 

Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast

Jones Sunday: 12-15. Monday: 10-13. Tuesday: 10-13, maybe. Sauvie’s Sunday: 10-13. Monday: 7-10. Tuesday: 10-13. Coast (north/central/south): Sunday, 10-15/15-20/25-30, NW swell 5′ at 7 seconds. Monday: 15-20/25-30/30+, NW 4′ @ 7. Tuesday: 20-25/15-20/30+, NW 4′ @ 7.
 

---

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

There will be snow on the ground at Mt. Hood today, and every day until the glaciers completely melt away.

 

Random Morning Thoughts

Sometimes we forget that life is short, or perhaps we protect ourselves from that realization by conveniently forgetting the fact that we’ll all die eventually. When we forget about our impending death, life can become repetitive. Our days can become drudgery. We start to waste time, rather than reveling in the knowledge that life is short, awesome, and awe-inspiring. We stop making the most of each day, and spend our energy just trying to get through the days. Seems kinda crazy when you stop to think about the fleeting nature of each and every one of us, doesn’t it?

Sometimes we just need a change of pace to become fascinated and inspired with each day. I’m not sure what intentional change does to our neural networks, but breaking out of routine can break us out of a rut.

Personally, I think learning something new is a great way to shake things up in a positive way. That could mean learning a new sport (Gorge residents’ number one way to deal with personal stagnation) or taking in new knowledge. One cool way of making this happen is checking out the massive repository of free online learning opportunities. You’re probably not going to learn a new sport online (you’ll have to go buy a new floating object for that, most likely), but you could learn a new language, a new skillset, or more about how the universe works.

Plus, there’s something about learning that shifts your daily life experience. Forcing the mind to grow can force you to see the world around you differently. That shift can spread through your entire life, changing your emotional world too. Lifelong learning… now available free on the internets. Pretty awesome, isn’t it? Have an awesome day!
 

Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist (but I could be in 700 days). I am your weather forecaster. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, and consult with your actual therapist about your mental health issues. One other thing: I plan to keep doing this forecast indefinitely, even when I am a therapist.
 

Gorge Weather Forecast

With the switch to west wind this morning, the smoke has cleared from the air. But be careful with your burning objects today – we are under a red flag fire warning. Anyway, temps will be in the upper 60’s early and the mid 80’s this afternoon. Moderate to strong wind. No rainbows. Monday starts cooler with temps in the upper 50’s and finishes off cool with temps in the upper 70’s. Moderate wind. No rainbows. Tuesday starts warming up again, but you’ll be able to trap cool air early: temps will be in the mid 50’s early and the mid 80’s in the afternoon. Light wind. No rainbows.

For weather specifically directed at travel through the Gorge, please visit Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.
 

White Sprinter Van of the Day

 

Road and Mountain Biking

Whoopdee and Hospital are closed through the end of fire season, whenever that turns out to be. NWTA has a campout, work party, etc., at St. Helens this weekend at Marble Mountain Sno-Park.
 

Upcoming Events

Today’s community events include the four Sunday by-donation yoga classes: 9am at Samadhi, 10am at Mt. Hood Meadows, 4pm at Pure Yoga in The Dalles and 6pm at Pure Yoga in Hood River. There’s a work party at Roosevelt Park today at 9am, and there’s a work party at Pacific Hermitage at 12:30.

Later this afternoon, there’s pickup touch rugby at the Mosier School at 3 and pickup ultimate Frisbee at Westside Elementary at 5. Today’s all-day events include the Skamania County Fair and Timber Carnival, the Gorge Paddle Challenge at Hood River’s Waterfront Park, the Festival of Wheels in Goldendale, and Pacific Crest Trail Days in Cascade Locks.

The movie Shrek plays tomorrow night at Mid-Valley Elementary in Odell, The Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo is next week, and Mt. Bachelor hosts an enduro mountain bike race next weekend.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira