Go read a forecast (because you won’t be able to get a library book soon) 5/19

Good morning!

The weather was calm early this morning, but that won’t last long. Blue skies will give way to rain later today.

The quick weather switch is powered by a winter-like storm off the Oregon coast. That storm is taking a northerly track, which means lots of wind for speedsailing at the coast, but not much in the Gorge.

We’ll see light east winds until midday followed by a quick switch to west winds. This setup makes for tough forecasting, but I think we’ll see super gusty mid-twenties westerlies in the corridor starting mid-afternoon, filling eastward towards dark. It could get very exciting on the river for tonight’s Hood River Yacht Club sailboat races, as there could be huge gusts through the corridor. Then again, we might see nothing at all, but the first scenario is much more likely.

Tomorrow brings 13-15 mph westerlies from Stevenson all the way to Arlington, with more rain and lowering freezing levels. The snow level drops to 3500 feet by tomorrow morning, and won’t budge until Sunday. Best chance for powder skiing is Friday into Saturday.

Coming up this weekend on Saturday, there’s a work party at Beacon Rock, and 2nd Wind’s season opener party at the Horse and Hound pub in Hood River. It must be opening weekend, because on Sunday, it’s the Big Wind beach bash, with lots of free demos. Also on Sunday, Columbia Gorge offroad association has a work party at Kingsley.

Boaters, the Hood’s at 4.8 feet, the Whitie Salmon’s at 4.4 feet, the Little White’s at 672, and the Wind River’s at 601cfs.

One final note: shuttered libraries suck.

Have a great day!

Temira