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Before you read on, please remember that this report (wind, snow and events, year round, almost every day – WOW!) is brought to you free of charge. It’s my hobby, but it’s valuable to you, and I put it out here free so you can make the most of your free time. But there are five times as many people using the forecast for free as there are making donations. We all know windsurfers and kiters and skiers can make a small donation to keep a good thing going. So we’re trying something through Labor Day. You can get this forecast as an email for $12. That gets you in the running for a few prizes here and there, and from now on it’ll give you consistency (on the 98% of days I write a forecast. Admit it, that’s pretty amazing for one chick working by herself!). Here’s the scoop: If I get donations totaling $15 or more on a given day, I’ll post a forecast the next day. If not, only the people on the mailing list get the forecast. Thanks for understanding that I have to make a living, and thank you for your support!
Tomorrow’s forecast status: 
Updated 11:27am. Thank you for making a donation!
**Hot off the press at 9:50am: It’s Mitchell Buck’s birthday today. Mitchell is the co-owner of the fabulous Dirty Fingers Bicycle and Repair and Bar at 13th and State. Come by tonight for Happy Hour beer from 5-7. He can’t advertise the prices, but I can. $3/pint. If you’d like to call and wish him happy birthday, the number at Dirty Fingers is 541-308-0420.**
It’s definitely summer now. As of this morning, we are in Fire Season Regulated Use Closure Level 3. That means that all Hood River County trails are now closed to motorized use, so park the ATV or dirt bike for now and start hoping for some serious rain. If you’re traveling along forest roads in a car, you need to carry a shovel and a gallon of water or a fire extinguisher.
Second, I’d like to share with you that, upon appeal last night, the Hood River County Planning Commission voted to disallow the previous approval of Barrett Park based on the fact that it is situated on high-value farmland (that’s a legal term, not a real estate term). The park, save some generous land-use lawyer stepping up to the plate for a pro-bono LUBA fight, is effectively dead.
As for the weather, this morning it was 67 degrees with 75% humidity, but at least it’s cool enough to get yesterday’s muggy air out of your house and replace it with something less oppressive.
We do have a nice breeze and a solid gradient this morning. Upper teens and .12 from PDX to DLS. The models seem to think the wind will die by mid-morning and pick back up this afternoon, but I’m going to contradict them. I think there’s enough marine clouds in Portland for 21-25 this morning, with a brief dip early afternoon, and 22-26 this afternoon from Stevenson to The Dalles. You can expect stronger wind in Stevenson this afternoon and gusty wind everywhere else, as an approaching frontal system and southerly upper flow and atmospheric instability screws with the consistency.
Tomorrow looks much windier, but it’s probably going to be inconsistent as a weather system slowly moves east of the Cascades. Expect 23-26 to start with periods of 27-30+ during the day. Let’s put it this way: I cleared my schedule tomorrow. The strongest wind will be at Mosier and Rowena, but it should be plenty windy near Hood River too, with a decent chance of Maryhill/Rufus, although I’d be surprised to see it blow the right direction for more than a couple of hours.
We’ll see westerlies picking up to the low twenties Thursday the mid to upper twenties Friday, and some sort of west wind through the weekend.
Coast winds return on Thursday, holding through the weekend, with 20ish on the north coast, 25-30 on the central and more south. However, the swell will be 2′ Thursday, slowly building to 4′ on Saturday, so not much in the way of waves.
In events, tonight is the Hood River Tri Club’s practice at 6. Friday Night is the Wizard of OZ at movies in the Park Cascade Locks, Saturday is the Wild Woman Trail Marathon and the Perseid Meteor Shower is all weekend.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira