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Forecast

Anyone sore from yesterday? 7/13

Good morning, and oh boy is it a good morning if you like bid days on the river!

The forecast this week is brought to you Hood River’s best sail repair shop, Sail Repair at 13 Oak Street. Did you break a sail yesterday? Somehow I didn’t, but I bet some of you did. If so, give Olaf a call at 541-806-3117 and he’ll have your sail fixed by tomorrow at 9am. I think that he might not sleep tonight repairing all of yesterday’s broken gear. Sorry, Olaf… =) Anyway, two of you are going to win $65 sail repair gift certificates this week, so get out there and break some gear!

Yesterday was one of the windiest days of the summer so far, and today’s going to be windy too, but not quite as crazy. The 5am gradient from Portland to The Dalles was .09, with another .06 from The Dalles to Pasco. Since the cloud line is past Hood River this morning, and a weather disturbance passing through will keep clouds around today, the strongest, steadiest wind will be from Mosier to Maryhill today. It will blow 20-23 this morning, building to 24-27 (maybe a bit more, but not likely) by early afternoon, with 18-21 at the Hatchery, Sandbar and Stevenson.

A weak ridge builds over the Northwest tonight, setting up a much lighter day tomorrow and Thursday. I still think we’ll see very weak west winds, but we might just see a couple of near-glassy days on the river. West winds will be back by Friday, just in time for the weekend.

Honestly, I wish all forecasts were like yesterday’s. That was an easy call 35+. =)

If you’re a mountain bikers and you plan on riding Post Canyon today, be advised that there’s a big tree down in the Toilet Bowl downhill, about halfway down. Speaking of Post Canyon, here’s the latest on Mike Jacoby, via Denise: “Mike’s slowly improving each day. He has opened his eyes on command, thumbs up, etc, but not awake yet. They said his complexion looked good today – healthier. They are going to start feeding him some solid food – not just IV drip. No MRI yet. He has to be able to cough on command before he can lie flat for that test. The staff moves him around and sits him up periodically. His blood pressure goes up when they read him funny Facebook posts, so keep them coming. The family really enjoys them as well!” If you don’t have access to Mike’s Facebook page, send me your bad jokes and I can post them for you.

Coming up tonight there’s the final ladies’ standup paddle night at the event site, hosted by Big Winds. That’s weather permitting, so check bigwinds.com around 4:30 this afternoon. I’m guessing it’s going to be too windy, but you never know…

Boaters, the Klickitat’s around 1500 cfs, and the White Salmon’s around 2.7 feet, and coming up Thursday, Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River hosts ‘Wildwater, a Love Story’ by world class boater Doug Ammons. There will be photos, video, and love of whitewater. Be there. It’s going to be super cool. $10, 7pm.

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

P.s. If you find this report valuable, or you’d rather get it in your inbox, click below for a suggested $10 donation. I’ll put you on the mailing list through the end of May, 2011, and you’ll be in the running for some awesome prizes from the weekly sponsors.

Categories
Forecast

Dawn Patrol nuclear force day! 7/12

Good morning, and oh boy is it a good morning if you like big days on the river!

The forecast this week is brought to you Hood River’s best sail repair shop, Sail Repair at 13 Oak Street. Arm yourself with the following phone number, because you might just need some sails repaired after today: 541-806-3117. That’s Olaf’s number. He’s been fixing sails in the Gorge since 1997, and he can fix the damage you’re going to do today. Give him a call to arrange drop off, or just leave your sail at the Gorge Surf Shop before 5pm… you’ll have it back by 9am the following day! Two of you are going to win $65 sail repair gift certificates this week, so get out there and break some gear!

If you’re a windsurfer or kiter or someone who’s been waiting for a huge day on the water to watch some mind blowing windsurfing or kiting, today is the day you’ve been waiting for. The early gradient was .16 from Portland to The Dalles with another .12 out east and .31 for the north-south gradient, and it’s already blowing 30 at the Hatchery. With these gradients, we’ll see 30+ from Swell to Arlington today, and it’s pretty likely we’ll see 35+ east of the marine clouds at Doug’s, Maryhill, Arlington and possibly Threemile. The strong wind will last all day today, as a system drops out of BC, keeping clouds in Portland and sunshine in the desert. Sorry guys… I can’t pick just one beach today. I think if you pick your favorite, it’s going to be good!

If you can’t get on the water today, you’ll have another chance tomorrow, as onshore flow continues. Tomorrow brings 24-27 or so from Stevenson out to Doug’s, best in the west in the morning and further east in the afternoon.

At this point, it looks like the westerlies will take a break on Wednesday, returning Thursday.

If you want to head to the coast, it’s going to blow out there too, with 15-20 knots today from Astoria to Florence, and 20-25 knots tomorrow and Wednesday, with an 8 foot swell building to 10 feet at 15 seconds.

If you’re working today and need something to do tonight, there’s the alternative ride out of mountain view cycles at 6:30. That’s a totally casual cruise to Mosier and back. Also tonight is free Tai Chi, with free lessons, at Wilson Park in Hood River at 6pm.

Have an awesome day on the water today, and if you are after the strongest wind, please consider wearing a helmet, just for today.

Temira

P.s. If you find this report valuable, or you’d rather get it in your inbox, click below for a suggested $10 donation. I’ll put you on the mailing list through the end of May, 2011, and you’ll be in the running for some awesome prizes from the weekly sponsors.