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It’s a cloudy Saturday. Whatcha gonna do today?

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Today, despite very optimistic forecasts on the 12k and 4/3 GFS models, isn’t the sort of day I’d bank a long drive on. See, there’s an upper level low pressure system sitting right over the top of the Gorge. While that will drive gradients, it will also destabilize the atmosphere, making the wind gusty and unreliable. As a matter of fact, today’s forecast is relying far more on gut instinct than on the actual isobars and wind speeds forecast by the models. In other words, anything could and may happen. Continued after the chart…



Today’s Gorge Wind – these are ranges for the average speed, not a predicted wind range. =)
Your favorite beach Dawn
Patrol
9am-
11:30a
11:30a-
3pm
3pm-
dusk
Rooster Rock Too cloudy to get rowdy!
Steven’s Locks 10-13 13-16 13-16 10-13
Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) 19-23 19-23 23-26 17-20
Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena 10-13 13-16 25-29 25-29
Rufus, etc. LTV 13-16 25-29?+ 25-29+?
Roosevelt, etc. LTV LTV 13-16 25-29?
fish


 

Gorge wind forecast, continued…


All that said, we started off Saturday with westerly gradients of .10 (pdx-dls) and .03 (dls-psc). Before I forget, the river temp is 58 degrees, and the flow is 240kcfs, a nice level for the Rufus stretch of the river. Putting my best guess to this, I think we’ll see gusty 19-23 this morning from Viento to Mosier. The wind should pick up after 2pm, with gusty 25-29 from Lyle to Arlington. The western Gorge will see lower wind speeds, and it’s entirely possible that we’ll see periods of stronger wind in more eastern locations. Honestly, we’re going to have to do a bit of wait and see today, especially when rain starts falling.


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The upper low moves a little further east on Sunday, but will still be impacting weather in the Gorge. Models suggest both quite a bit of rain and quite a bit of wind, an unlikely scenario. My best guess is that we’ll see really gusty 20-25 in the morning from Lyle to Rufus or so. As the weather settles a bit in the afternoon, we’ll probably see the wind pick up to gusty 26-30 from Mosier to Arlington. Stronger wind is possible, but unlikely.

That low pressure system finally moves off to the east on Monday, leaving us with a much better setup. We’ll have 28-32 by late morning Monday from Hood River to Rufus. Tuesday looks less windy.
 

The North Sports Yard Sale, May 21st


On May 21st, from 9 am to 3 pm North Sports in White Salmon, WA is having a blowout yard sale of the coolest water sports equipment on the market. Inflatable kayaks, inflatable SUP boards, paddles, and MORE. You will not be able to beat these prices! Everything must go! If you are an outdoor water enthusiast and want the best value, come to North Sports, located at #1 North Shore Drive SE, in White Salmon, on May 21st from 9 am to 3 pm. Get here, then get on the water.
 

Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast


There’s not much going on at Jones, Sauvie’s or the coast for the weekend. Looking at Monday, we’ll have 10-13 at Jones, nothing at Sauvie’s, nothing on the north coast, 15-20 on the central coast, and 30+ on the south coast. Monday’s swell will be W 3′ at 12 seconds.
 

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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

Today is the last day of ski season at Mt. Hood Meadows. Timberline, of course, will be here for you all summer long. You can expect a cloudy day today with sprinkles or rain this afternoon. The snow level will be 11,000′ this morning and 10,000′ this afternoon. Wind will be NE 30+ this morning, fading to light and variable this afternoon.

I think that’s about it for the snow forecast for this year, unless something very unusual forces me to issue a special statement. Looking ahead to next season, NOAA is predicting a 75% chance of a La Nina. As you may know, there is a strong correlation between La Nina and cold and wet winters. That, of course, is no guarantee of a great ski season, as we really don’t have a statistically valid sample, but it’s worth thinking about buying a pass for next year.
 

Random Morning Thoughts

Y’all might have noticed that I’m a big fan of mindfulness meditation. Since today’s the Buddha’s birthday, I’m going to take a moment to remind you of the power of meditation. Many, many studies have shown long-lasting benefits to taking a few minutes a day to meditate. Levels of anxiety and depression drop, and immune system function improves. You get all this by doing, essentially, nothing. All you have to do is sit there.

Now, there’s all sorts of misinformation out there about meditation. You can cut through the crap by using the Headspace App to teach you meditation. It’s brilliant and simple. And no, they don’t pay me, but their app changed my life.

If you’re feeling really frisky about your meditation practice, there’s a half-day retreat at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon today from 1pm to 5pm. You can join some cool locals and some cool local monks for an afternoon of sitting and walking meditation, plus a little chat afterwards. That’s all I have to say for today. Just sit there and do nothing, and have an awesome day!
 

Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist. I am your weather forecaster. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, and consult with your actual therapist about your mental health issues.
 

Gorge Weather Forecast

We’re starting out Saturday with high overcast sky and random convective clouds. With an upper level low sitting over us, this weather will continue, with rain in the forecast from 2pm on through tonight. Temps will be right around 60 early and in the low 70’s this afternoon with high humidity. Strong wind. 5% chance of rainbows. Sunday looks cloudy and rainy to start with partly cloudy sky and showers in the afternoon. Temps will be in the low 50’s early and the mid 60’s in the afternoon. Strong wind. 97% chance of rainbows. Monday looks partly cloudy with the slightest chance of sprinkles early and sunshine in the afternoon. Temps will be right around 50 early and in the upper 60’s in the afternoon. Strong wind. 47% chance of rainbows, but just in the morning.

For weather specifically directed at travel through the Gorge, please visit Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.
 

White Sprinter Van of the Day

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Road and Mountain Biking

First off, there’s a work party on the 160 trail this morning. Meet at Binn’s Hill Staging Area at 9am. There’s an Enduro race happening in Post Canyon the weekend of the 21st and 22nd. By coincidence, that’s also the weekend of the Dog River Super D, which I originally thought was tomorrow, but is apparently not. Anyway, our local trails organization has agreed to provide the volunteers, and in exchange, the race organizers are offering up $8000 for our trails. So, we need volunteers! Sign up here, now. Looking to ride? Get the complete list of open trails here.
 

Upcoming Events

Today’s events include an 8am trail run in Post Canyon. That’s followed by a 9am trail work party that meets at Binn’s Hill Staging Area. The Stevenson to Carson Ridge Run is today at 10.

Coming up tomorrow, there’s free yoga at 9 at Samadhi, ping pong at the Hood River Armory at 10, pickleball at May Street Elementary at 1, pickup touch rugby at the Mosier School at 3, and YogaFaith at Pure Yoga in The Dalles at 4pm.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira


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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.