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Friday, 6/28. Gorge wind, perfect Post Canyon dirt, and humidity.

Thank you for using this forecast! Your donations keep this forecast going – despite rumors to the contrary, nobody pays me to write this and post it. This forecast started as a way for me to find better windsurfing conditions and better skiing in the winter. Seemed silly to keep that information to myself, so it’s here for you (almost) every day. Make a $12 or larger donation by clicking on the sun and you’re on the email list for a year. No dealing with the twice-yearly pledge drive. No dealing with my hosting provider’s issues. Sometimes I even have prizes to give away from the email list sponsors. Thank you again for your support! Enjoy the snow and wind and sun!

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Good morning,

Join Wet Planet Whitewater Center, Kayak Shed and Columbia Center for the Arts as they host two nights of water adventure films with the REEL Paddling Film Festival this Friday and Saturday. 8pm. $10. The paddling films have something for everyone and include all types of paddling: sea & whitewater kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddling and even surfing. If you were on the mailing list, you’d be competing for free tickets. But then again, $10 is cheap. See you there!

Get those windows and doors open this morning and cool off your house as much as you can, because we’re on track for a hot, muggy day in the Gorge. This morning’s cool, muggy air is going to feel downright splendid come mid-afternoon. Speaking of mid-afternoon heat, I read somewhere, at some point, that imagining cold things when you’re hot can actually lower one’s body temperature. That’s my plan today (along with swimming), but I’m wondering if, along those same lines, imagining ice cream can actually cause calories to accumulate on one’s thighs. If so, I’m screwed.

Wind forecast

Oh thank you weather gods for giving us some wind, any wind, to save us from today’s heat and humidity: We’ll start off with light east wind today, under a .04 gradient. The wind should pick up briefly to E 13-16 at Stevenson mid-morning, before becoming calm by mid-afternoon, and then picking up to W 5-10 by late afternoon and W 13-16 from Stevenson to Hood River by this evening. There’s even a chance of a burst of 16-19 late.

Tomorrow just looks splendid, considering the high temp is predicted to be in the low 90’s with RH around 40%. The west wind will save us all. As of this morning, tomorrow looks like a 22-24 dawn patrol start, picking up to 23-26+ from Stevenson to Hood River in the morning (and all day, really), and then picking up at Doug’s/Rowena in the afternoon.

I’ll give Sunday a tentative thumbs-up, at least in the morning, when we should see W 15-18 near Hood River. If the long-range models are correct, Monday will be windy, and the rest of next week will be the most Classic of Classic Gorge Setups that we’ve seen in years. But that’s a really long way out to be making a call – it’s more of a pipe dream that a forecast, although the models are showing very strong wind for a few days in a row. I’m crossing my fingers. You should do the same.

One problem with all of this wind forecasting over the next week is that we’ll be under upper level southerly flow with moist air, which could/likely will lead to convective clouds and possible thunderstorms nearly every day. The unstable atmosphere that generates thunderstorms tends to generate gusty and unreliable wind as well. So again, just cross your fingers and let’s see what happens.

Now, on to water sampling. I’m no expert. I don’t know nothing, but I have a friend who works for a sewage plant, and he doesn’t seem to think this is a big deal. However, everyone’s talking about it, so I’ll jump on the bandwagon and point you to Riverkeeper’s latest water sample from the Event Site. Unfortunately, they do not discuss the how or why or safety concerns of the reading or whether they just took one sample that could perhaps be an anomaly. They just throw the reading out there and let the rumors swirl.

Today’s Gorge Wind
Your favorite beach Dawn
Patrol
9am-
11:30a
11:30a-
3pm
3pm-
dusk
Stevenson E 0-5 W 5-10 10-13 14-17
Hatch (subtract a few mph for Event Site) light 5-7 10-13 14-16
Doug’s / Rowena / Lyle light light 5-10 14-17
Maryhill / Rufus / The Wall light light light 5-10
Arlington / Roosevelt light light light light


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Cycling news

Oh lordy. I have never seen Post Canyon better than it was yesterday. Perfect tacky dirt top to bottom. Go ride something. Anything. Today. Do it now, before it’s too hot and muggy. Take lots of water, because this muggy weather is going to make you sweat.

And if you want to watch a mountain bike flick, head to 10 Speed Coffee at 6pm for “Where the Trail Ends”.

Other stuff

If you’re out near Biggs today, tomorrow, or Sunday (why you would do this with a forecast of 100+ for the desert, I’m not sure), swing by the Maryhill Loops Road for the Maryhill Festival of speed, downhill skateboarding insanity. In Cascade Locks today through Sunday, wind permitting, there’s dinghy racing all day. Coming up this evening, catch the REEL paddling film festival at Columbia Center for the Arts and the mountain bike movie “Where the Trail Ends” at 10 Speed Roastery.

The paddling film festival continues with more films tomorrow night. During the day tomorrow, it’s Windfest at Hood River’s Event Site with free clinics and low-cost demos. It’s also likely the windsurfing blowout will happen tomorrow, with racers headed from Stevenson to Hood River. Also tomorrow, it’s the Central Gorge Master Gardeners’ Garden Tour – tickets are available at Waucoma Books and other locations throughout the Gorge.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

By Temira

Temira Lital is a recreation and travel weather forecaster based in Hood River, Oregon. Temira uses they/them pronouns. They're also a mental health counselor. Temira bikes, skis, windsurfs, paddles a SUP, swims in mountain lakes, and loves gardening. Most recently they've taken up SUP foiling. Temira is powered by La Croix, protein, and beets.