Forecast - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by 2nd Wind Sports at 210 Oak in Hood River. If you’re looking for a great way to escape this week’s heat, how about going camping? 2nd Wind has a great selection of all the finest camping gear from Thermarest, MSR and Mountain Hardware, the kind of gear that will last you a lifetime. Thanks to 2nd Wind for supporting the report – swing by and support them today! (2nd Wind donated a B-2 trainer kite for a giveaway on the email forecast list this week…)

West winds disappeared overnight as high pressure filled in across the Cascades. The westerlies aren’t coming back until the end of the week, but we’ll have easterlies the next few days. Today starts out pretty light, but slowly builds into the 17-21 range at Stevenson and Rooster. Tomorrow looks a little stronger, with low twenties, and Thursday looks a little stronger yet, with mid to upper twenties.

If east winds aren’t your thing, head to the coast. It’s 20 knots up north to 25 knots at the central coast today, with an 8 foot swell at 9 seconds. Winds should hold on the central coast through tomorrow.

With the light winds today, it’s going to be a great day for wakeboarding, fishing, rowing, or standup paddling on the Columbia. If you’re a gal, check out the Big Winds’ ladies standup paddle club at the Hood River Event Site from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight. Demos are free, and so are lessons, so come down and join the crew.

You’re probably not heading to the Hatchery today or tomorrow, but if you are, you should know that it’s closed for repaving and will reopen on Thursday.

Also tonight is the Tuesday night triathlon at the east end of the event site. Anyone is welcome to join for a 500 yard swim, 8 mile bike ride and 2 mile run.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s at 2 ¾ feet and the Klickitat’s at 1520 cfs. If you’re a boater and want to escape the heat on Wednesday, join us for Zen and the Art of Heat Avoidance. Meet at Northwestern Lake at 11am for a day of whitewater laps on the Lower (or Middle, if that’s your thing) White Salmon, followed by a bbq at the lake. To RSVP, click the link or just email me.

That’s it for today. Whatever you do today, have an awesome day.

Temira

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by 2nd Wind Sports at 210 Oak in Hood River. 2nd Wind isn’t just a used gear shop anymore. They’ve got everything, and you know variety is the spice of life. If you need to recover from all the recent wind, 2nd Wind has the best collection of couches, movies, and Monster Energy drinks in the Gorge, for your hanging out and recovery pleasure. Swing by and say hello to the 2nd Wind crew today! (2nd Wind donated a B-2 trainer kite for a giveaway on the email forecast list this week…)

First off, thanks to everyone for your kind comments yesterday. I know that people who send such nasty emails are only responding to their own personal problems, but the nasty words still hurt. It’s good to hear from all of you who do appreciate the forecast, so thank you! Now, the forecast….

Hopefully everyone is recovering from the great wind and the 4th of July parties yesterday. I have no idea why it ended up blowing 35ish yesterday (I updated the website at 9:30 to predict 26-30, but Mother Nature still won the forecast battle yesterday), but it was a fun surprise. It’s windy again this morning, but it’s not going to stay that way all day, so get out of bed, stop looking at your iPhone or Blackberry or Droid, and head to the water.

Marine clouds were right over Hood River this morning and the early gradient was at .12 from Portland to The Dalles. Strongest, steadiest wind early will be at Mosier. By mid-morning, as a weak system passes overhead, the wind fills in from Viento to Maryhill in the 25-29 range, with a slight possibility of short-lived 30+. If you want the strongest wind, jump on it, as high pressure starts pushing east this afternoon, causing winds to drop into the upper teens by evening.

By tomorrow morning, the sky clears and gradients turn easterly as high pressure builds over the Northwest. We’ll see morning easterlies in the low teens, building to the 17-21 range in the afternoon.

Easterlies keep blowing Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and so does the coast, which is definitely better than no wind at all!

If you’d like some waves with your wind, instead of east wind Gorge choppiness, it’s blowing from Florence down now, and is going to keep blowing through Thursday, at least, with 20-25 knots or more starting today, and 7 to 9 foot waves. Wavesailing sounds like a great way to beat the 90+ degree heat that starts tomorrow!

If you’re looking for something fun to do after work tonight, there are Monday’s standard after-work activities. There’s the alternative ride out of Mountain View cycles at 6:30 pm (and I swear I’m actually going to go this week). That’s a family-friendly, mellow ride to Mosier and back for snacks and drinks at the Thirsty Woman. Also tonight is free tai chi in Wilson Park in Hood River – lessons start at 5:30 or so, and class stats at 6pm.

That’s it for today. Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

Temira

p.s. If you think this forecast is worth something (if it saves you gas money, for example), please take the time to make a donation below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email list, where you can win lots of cool prizes from the sponsors. Thank you for your support!