Gorge Wind Forecast
It’s Wednesday morning, and the wind is taking its sweet time building. Don’t worry – as a low pressure system moves off to the east and high pressure builds in, increasing atmospheric stability, the wind too will build. Expect a steady build to 28-32 from Mosier to Rufus by 1pm or so. Arlington might be a little far east today, but still should see 25-28 on the water (with higher readings on the meter). Swell and Hood River are questionable today – the wind speeds near HR really depend on whether these low clouds can burn back. My best guess is the wind will build to gusty 21-24 this afternoon. River flow is 469kcfs, way too much for the Rufus stretch of the river. Temp is 52 degrees. 2204 Chinook made it past Bonneville yesterday. (continued below the chart)
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster Rock | clouds | above, | butts | below | |
| Steven’s Locks | 13-16 | 16-20 | 20-24 | 20-24 | |
| Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) | 13-16 | 16-20 | G 20-24+ | G 20-24 | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | 17-20 | 24-28 | 27-31+ | 27-31+ | |
| Rufus, etc. | massive | current | 27-31+ | 27-31+ | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 20-23 | 20-23 | 26-30 | 24-28 | |
Gorge Wind Forecast, continued.
Looking at Thursday, high pressure builds inland. We’ll see some leftover all-Gorge westerlies at 14-18 before the wind fades back to the Corridor. By early afternoon, the wind will be doing what it’ll be doing for the rest of the day: 13-16 or so from Stevenson to The Dalles. Possibly 16-19.
Friday starts out with light west wind and builds to 13-16 in the afternoon from Cascade Locks to The Dalles. Saturday is looking quite interesting as a weak system sets up a big marine push into the Willamette Valley overnight. This is the first time this season that the models have show signs of a classic Corridor day. As of right now, I think we’ll see 27-31 from Swell to Rufus on Saturday, and I have officially cleared my schedule. The GFS is currently showing offshore flow, east wind, on Sunday, but I’m not sure I’m buying that. Light westerlies seem like a more likely scenario. Either way, there’s probably not going to be enough wind for anything other than a foil board or a huge slalom sail.
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Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast
Not much is happening at Jones, Sauvie’s or the coast on Wednesday or Thursday. For the next two days, there will be wind. Jones Friday: 17-20. Jones Saturday: 10-13. Sauvie’s Friday: 5-10. Sauvie’s Saturday: 12-15+. Coast Friday: North: 10-15. Central: 20-25. South: 30+. W swell 5′ at 10 seconds. Saturday North: 10-15. Central: 20-25. South: 35+. W 5@10.
Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Wow. That was some serious spring snowstorm! Timberline ended up with about 28” of new snow in that weather system, and there are still some orographic flurries this morning. On-and-off snowfall will continue through mid-afternoon, after which the sky should clear. The snow level will be 5000′ through mid-afternoon, and then 7000′. Wind will be NW 30 early, fading to light and variable wind after midnight. Thursday looks clear and sunny. The free air freezing level will be 7000′ early and 8500′ in the afternoon. Light and variable wind. Friday looks sunny. The snow level will be 8500′ all day with light SW wind.
Random Morning Thoughts
I have the honor and privilege to spend a fair bit of time with Thai Forest monastics. I’m endlessly surprised and helped by the wisdom they’ve accumulated through their studies of their own minds. Saying this still sounds funny to me; before I met these folks, I envisioned monks as rigid sticks-in-the-mud. That, they are definitely not!
I’ve been struggling lately with the balance between being a spontaneous person who lives in the moment, and being a kind, compassionate, caring person. I like to think of myself as these things, but the truth is that my first thought or intention in a given moment isn’t always the highest order of kindness, and sometimes I do/say things of which I am not proud. I’m guessing this is a pretty common experience, and I hope it resonates with some of you.
I asked my monk friend last night how to handle this dialectic of spontaneity v. pro-social behavior, which I sensed was in a large part a matter of retraining the mind. He pointed that out, and suggested that I, and all of us, take ourselves less seriously. On the surface, that sounds pithy, but think about what it means to “take oneself seriously”: it means judging each thought or action as good or bad and then judging our humanity as good or bad on the basis of those actions. Eeek. That’s a lot of judgment and pressure, right?
So, point one: hold tightly to the intention to be a good, kind compassionate person, but hold your actual actions lightly. Be kind to yourself when you don’t live up to your intention. Point two: stop reinforcing your sense of self with all these judgments and expectations – the more you cling to the idea that you have a fixed self, the more your judgments will impact your emotional experience. We can debate the existence of a self at some other time if you like. That would be awesome. Have an awesome day.
Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist (but I could be 40 graduate school credits from now). 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
It’s partly to mostly cloudy out there this morning, and the clouds will decrease as the day goes on. Temps will be in the low 50’s early and low 60’s this afternoon. Strong wind. 1% chance of rainbows. Thursday looks sunny. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and the low 70’s in the afternoon. Light west wind. No rainbows. Friday looks sunny. Temps will be in the upper 40’s early and the mid 70’s in the afternoon. Light west wind. No rainbows. Saturday looks quite windy.
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
Surveyor’s Ridge is apparently clear of downed trees but not clear of snow, at least the singletrack part of it. Dog River is open. In road bike news, Lost Lake Road is open, but I have no info on Lake Branch or Vista Ridge. Guessing they are still snowy… No dogs are allowed on Hospital Hill due to grazing cattle, and the Rowena Curves remain closed due to a rockslide. The Historic Columbia River Highway Trail is open all the way to Warrendale, with two trees down at a very obvious spot. Remember that Saturday is the Cascadia Dirt Cup in Post Canyon. There will be folks out practicing all week (it’s okay to remind them that ‘uphill has the right of way’), and you’ll want to avoid Post on Saturday.
Upcoming Events
Today’s events include sailboat races at the Hood River Marina and community Zumba at 6pm at St. Francis House in Odells. There’s a ping pong tournament at the Hood River Armory tonight at 6:30 – doors open at 5:30, and it’s $5 to enter.
In trail and road closures and openings, the Kreps have started logging on Hospital Hill. The following trails are closed until mid-June: innerwoods, Dr. Who, below the Bench, and the roads that connect to Innerwoods. The Rowena Curves are still closed due to rockslides. The Maryhill Loops Road will be open on Saturday to motorcyclists and there will be a free rider refresher at 11:30.
Other events Saturday include a campout work party on the Buck Creek trail, the Cascadia Dirt Cup mountain bike race in Post Canyon, a dressage show at the Hood River Saddle Club, and the Mt. Adams Endurance equestrian race. There’s also a star party at Rooster Rock on Saturday night. Finally, the first Gorge Cup windsurfing race of the season is Saturday at the Event Site in Hood River.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
