Forecast - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

This week’s forecast is brought to you by the Sandbar Café, located at the east end of the Event Site, and open daily during the summer from 11am to 7pm. You’re going to be on the water today, and lots of you will be at the Event Site or the Sandbar. When you get hungry, and you will, head over to the Sandbar Café for some food. Even if you’re not planning on sailing there, go check it out. I’ve been down at the Event Site the last couple of evenings, and it’s a really nice place to watch the sunset and enjoy the warm evening breeze. The $2.50 tall boys at the Sandbar seal the deal. Go check it out this evening. Sandbar Café has donated 5 fish taco and Tall Boy combos for this week’s giveaway. Score!

West winds returned yesterday, much to my surprise, and they’re not going anywhere soon. With a trough of low pressure at the coast, we’ll see marine clouds in Portland for the next few days. Along with that, a heat low will hang east of the Cascades, setting up a solid pressure difference across the mountains. At 5am, the gradient was at .08, and the wind was blowing in the upper teens near Hood River.

The wind will pick up today, building into the 22-25 range from Stevenson to the Sandbar in the morning, shifting out east in the afternoon. The only complicating factor today is the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon. If the clouds start building, expect the wind to get gusty and inconsistent.

Tomorrow and Wednesday look very similar to today, possibly a little stronger, with the heat low parked in the desert and marine clouds in Portland.

There are also a couple of fun things going on tonight. There’s the Alternative Ride out of Mountain View cycles, leaving at 6:30 and heading to Mosier. This ride is open to anyone who can make it from downtown Hood River to Mosier and back. The pace is mellow and spandex and fancy bikes are strongly discouraged. I’m going, but my bike is fancy, so they’ll probably beat me up.

Also tonight is free tai chi at Wilson Park in Hood River. If you’ve never done a martial art before, come check it out. It’s free, and lessons are provided. Class starts at 6:00, and everyone is welcome!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til May 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors. This week it’s fish tacos and tall boys for 5 people, donated by the Sandbar Cafe. Thank you for using this report, and thank you for your support!

Good morning!

First off, I’d like to wish a happy 21st birthday to 2nd Wind’s rockstar employee Claire Snelling! I’d tell you to swing by the shop and sing to her, but she’s not working today. She’s a big slacker. Swing by her birthday party at the British Pub starting at 8:30pm tonight. Her favorite drink is Maker’s Mark on the rocks, and she also likes vodka tonics, but her favorite drink is a Strongbow.

In wind news, it was light this morning, despite a .08 west gradient across the Cascades. I’m going to call 18-22 today, despite the heat in both Portland and Hood River, but a switch to southerly upper flow later today will really complicate the picture. As upper low turns southerly today, there’s a chance of increasing clouds and humidity, along with some thunderstorms this afternoon. Honestly just about anything can happen when thunderstorms build, so the best approach today is to take a wait-and-see attitude on the wind.

If you’re a very strong swimmer, there’s an event for you this morning. Meet at the east end of the Hood River Inn at 730am today for a swim under the Hood River Bridge. If you are not an extremely strong swimmer, don’t even think about showing up.

An upper low off the California coast turns upper flow quite southerly tonight and allows the heat low to shift east.. Marine clouds move into Portland tomorrow morning, and low level flow turns westerly. The wind doesn’t look strong, but westerlies will blow in the 13-17 range tomorrow.

On Tuesday, the heat low in the desert combines with a solid marine push into Portland for stronger west winds.

Coming up sometime this afternoon or evening, the finishers of the Race Across Oregon bike race roll into the Hood River Inn. The solo riders will have done 522 miles over the last couple of days, so head down there to cheer them across the finish line and to see what someone looks like after riding 522 miles in 36 hours.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s at 2 ¼ feet and the Klickitat’s right around 1100 cfs. As soon as the White Salmon drops a little more, Wet Planet will start running the upper section in rafts. That’s going to be super rad, so stay tuned for that update.

Stay cool today, and have a great day!

Temira