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Forecast

More wind. 7/30

Good morning!

This week’s forecast is brought to you by 2nd Wind, the best place in the Gorge to pick up camping and hiking gear. Save yourself a trip to REI, and shop local for cool gear from Thermarest (sleep on something comfortable), Mountain Hardware (in something well designed), and MSR (a good stove will keep you well fed). Not only does 2nd Wind have the gear, they have employees who can help you make an educated decision about what gear is best for you. Swing by today and check it out (and ask what this week’s prize will be!)…

If it’s still really early, you’re a woman, and you’re a mountain biker (I just eliminated most of you, didn’t I?), head to China Gorge and join the Disco Divas for a ride at Surveyor’s. 8am is the meetup time.

If it’s too late for that, get ready for windsurfing and kiting.

The marine clouds are a little deeper this morning and the gradient is a lot stronger. At 5am, it was .15 from Portland to The Dalles, and the wind was blowing in the low twenties near Hood River. We’ll see 25-29 by midday at the Hatchery with a little less wind at the Sandbar, and the wind should hold all day, picking up at Doug’s in the afternoon. Models suggest the wind will fill in out east later, so there’s also a chance of 23-27 at Maryhill and Arlington.

Coming up Saturday, a low pressure trough shifts east, giving us a classic gorge setup. We’ll have high pressure off the coast, low pressure in the desert, and deep marine clouds over Portland. Dawn patrol in the mid to upper twenties near Hood River looks pretty likely for Saturday, with winds holding all day from Hood River eastward. Sunday looks windy too, probably a carbon copy of Saturday. At this point, it looks like the wind will keep blowing at least through the beginning of next week. Are you sore just thinking about it?

If you want coast action this weekend, it looks like Pistol or nothing, as the north and central coast beaches suffer from the influence of the low pressure trough.

Boaters, the Klickitat’s getting a little boney… it’s right around 1000 cfs, and the Hood River’s right at 2 ¼ feet. If you’d like to go rafting, Wet Planet is now running the Class IV upper stretch of the river, ending with Husum Falls and Rattlesnake. It’s one wild ride, so go check it out! Even you spoiled adrenaline junkies will have a good time. I suggest you request Drew as your guide, because a) he’s my friend, b) he’s been guiding for a loooooong time, and c) he’s a super-personable conversationalist while he’s giving you the tour of the river.

Coming up this weekend is the Gorge Cup 2-day windsurfing race, where all types of gear are welcome – vmgevents.com for more information – and the final Big Winds SUP race of the season – www.bigwinds.com/sup – at the Event Site on Sunday.

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!

Categories
Forecast

7/29 forecast

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. It’s going to be windy today, and you’re going to be kiting down there or slalom sailing, so wander by and say hi to kitchen maestro and musician, Crazy Pete. The Event Site is a great place to watch the sunset, so grab a friend, and head to the Sandbar Café this evening for $2.50 tall boys and a beautiful sunset. Sandbar Café has donated 5 fish taco and Tall Boy combos for this week’s giveaway. Score!

Today brings another round of west wind as a weather disturbance pushes east of the Cascades. The early gradient was at .10 from Portland to The Dalles, enough for 10-15 miles per hour at sunrise. There’s not much marine clouds this morning, so heating in Portland will limit the wind today. However, we’ll see 17-21 at the Hatchery and 14-17 at Stevenson and the Sandbar.

Tomorrow looks windier, as a low pressure trough at the coast pushes more marine clouds inland. Westerlies start off in the upper teens near Hood River tomorrow, building to the 22-26 range in the afternoon.

At this point, the weekend looks windy. Temperatures dropping into the 70’s in Portland on Saturday and Sunday should cause west winds to pick up into the 24-28 range. If you’re thinking of heading to the coast this weekend, you might be better here, as it looks marginal out there, with 10-15 knots and a 7 foot swell the call both Saturday and Sunday.

If you’re looking for things to do off the water, the Hood River County Fair is on through Saturday. If you want to go mountain biking, be prepared for a dusty beatdown on the local trails. Even so, the Post and Pint is on for tonight, with a lap around Post Canyon with the Dirty Fingers Bike Repair crew. Speaking of biking, tomorrow is the Disco Divas ride, a mountain bike ride for women. Contact Barb at barbaralmurphy@hotmail.com if you’re interested in going.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s at 2 1/4 feet and the Klickitat’s at 1040 cfs.

Coming up this weekend, there’s the Gorge Cup Challenge at the Event Site. It’s a two day regatta featuring downwind slalom and course racing depending on conditions. This event is part of the US Windsurfing National Racing Tour and is the Gorge Cup Season Finale. It feature as “run what you bring” class where no special gear of experience is necessary.

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!