Monday: heat, humidity, and thunderstorms!

The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best wind forecast for the Gorge.

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The Forecast

Your favorite beach	Dawn Patrol	9am- 11:30a	11:30a- 3pm	3pm- dusk
Today’s Gorge Wind – these are ranges for the average speed, not a predicted wind range. =)
Rooster Rock	E10-15	E10-15	calm	calm
Steven’s Locks	E10-15	E10-15	calm	LTW
Viento	E10-15	E10-15	calm	LTW
Swell-Hood River	LTE	LTE	E5-10	thunder
Lyle to Doug’s	LTE	LTE	calm	thunder
Rufus, etc.	LTV	LTV	calm	thunder
Roosevelt & Arlington	LTV	LTV	calm	thunder

Gorge Wind Forecast

A not-so-helpful weather setup sticks around through Wednesday or Thursday, but there are hints of a cooldown and strong westerlies starting somewhere in the Saturday/Sunday timeframe. Let’s talk quickly about the next few days and then move on to cheerier news!

Monday starts out with pressures of 29.91/29.95/30.00 and easterly gradients. There’s not much wind on the surface of the river – it’s just 10-15 from Rooster to Viento. Don’t bother – the wind won’t do much more, and will drop to 10mph or less by early afternoon. It then (maybe, depending on thunderstorms and such) shifts to W 11-14 from Hood River to Avery late in the day. That’s the same time period of significant instability and high likelihood of thunder, lightning, and heavy showers. River flow is 248kcfs, river temp is 56F, and high temp forecast is 87F.

Tuesday starts with a light onshore gradient, quickly turns calm, and maybe picks up to 11-14 from Hood River to The Dalles in the afternoon. Thunderstorms are again possible. High temp: 86F. Wednesday will be dead calm, hot (89), and muggy. Slight chance of thunder in the afternoon. Great day to take a dip.

Models show wider possibilities starting Thursday. A few give us westerlies in the low to mid 20’s Thursday and Friday, but there’s no clear signal. At least 50% of the ensemble members give us moderate to strong westerlies on Saturday. There’s a clear signal for a cooldown and strong westerlies Sunday and Monday. There ya go!

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Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast

Wind speed in knots. Direction Northerly unless otherwise noted for Coast. Westerly for Jones. Northerly for Sauvie Island. North/Central/South, waves. Wave forecast provided by NWS. Monday: W15/SW15/S15-20, W swell 4′ @ 12 seconds. Tuesday: LTV/LTNW/N5-10, W 2′ @ 10. Wednesday: 20-25/10/NW5, W 2′ @ 8. Jones Monday: LTW. Tuesday: 17-20. Wednesday: LTW. Sauvie Island Monday: LTV. Tuesday: N 10 late. Wednesday: calm.

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

On vacation until fall unless something extraordinary happens.

Hood River Weather Forecast

Mostly clear sky this morning gives way to clouds and probable thunderstorms this afternoon. Heavy rain is possible in any given storm. Temps will be in the upper 50’s early and upper 80’s later. Calm wind early. Light to moderate westerlies later. Muggy. 17% chance of rainbows. Tuesday will be mostly clear in the morning with convective clouds and a chance of thunder in the afternoon. Temps will be in the mid to upper 50’s early and mid 80’s later. Muggy. Light westerlies. 14% chance of rainbows. Wednesday will be sunny in the morning with a chance of thunder in the afternoon. Temps will be in the upper 50’s early and upper n80’s later. Muggy. 8% chance of rainbows.

Looking for a complete Columbia Gorge forecast? Looking for more humor in your weather? Obscenities? You’re looking for my TATAS: Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.

Local-ish Events

Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know! The Cascadia Dirt Cup Enduro MTB race is in Post Canyon May 19-21. The 19th is practice day. Just don’t go there. Race days are Saturday and Sunday, approximately 9am to 1pm. Go elsewhere. They are seeking volunteers to help with the race. That could be you! May 20th is the Gardener’s Faire plant sale at Rockford Grange. June 10th is the Gorge Adventure Race in White Salmon. Multi-discipline = multi-sport day.

Regular weekly events: NK Studios in Bingen has a donation-based yoga class at 7:30am every Tuesday. Ferment’s Tuesday night 4-mile walk/run is at 6pm. There’s meditation with monks at 5:15pm (an hour) and 6:30pm (30 minutes plus a talk) at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon. At 7:15am on Wednesdays, there’s a run from the White Salmon Bakery. At 7am on Friday morning, there’s a run from Pine Street Bakery. On Fridays at 2:30pm, there’s a free meditation and stretching class at Yoga Samadhi. On Saturday at 9am, there’s a by-donation outdoor group fitness on the 2rd floor deck about Ferment Brewing.

Regular bike rides (thanks to the Hood River Area Trail Stewards for collecting). Tuesday is Mountain View’s ride. Meet at 5:45pm on Post Canyon Drive where the pavement ends. Wednesday is the Evo/Kickstand all-ability, no-drop Post Canyon ride. 5:30 from the shop or join along the way. All abilities welcome. Thursday is Mountain View’s women’s ride. 5:30pm, Seven Streams Trailhead. No drop. Thursday is also the Dirty Fingers Post and Pint. 5:30 from the shop or later at Family Man. This is hardcore, race-pace. Saturday morning is the Mountain View road/gravel ride. Two hours. 12-14mph average speed. Starting May 6th, Oregon Ebikes has the women’s ride at 8:30am. Meet at Seven Streams parking lot for a 1.5 to 2 hour ride.

Cycling

Eldorado has re-opened. Current Post Canyon closures: 140/Blue Car Downhill and connections closed indefinitely. On weekdays, Upper GP, Lower GP, and the top of Baby GP are closed through approximately May 17th. Chorus, and FMS are currently closed and will reopen approximately May 11. Do not violate these closures. Post Canyon is a tree farm, and we ride there at the grace of Hood River County. Thank you!

Post is snow-free at least to the top of Borderline. Cows are in on Hospital Hill. That means dogs are no longer allowed. Even if your dog is cool. Even if you’re a local. Even if … you get the picture! Hospital Hill is private land. Please respect the wishes of the landowners – they’re generous enough to let folks use that land, and dogs have been shot there before. Please don’t ride muddy trails, or you’ll do permanent damage. Always remember to consider gravel riding! If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.

Valuable Advice for Gardeners Inhabiting Neighboring Areas

In other news, specifically in Valuable Advice for Gardeners Inhabiting Neighboring Areas… it’s 52 days until July 4th. Get your corn seed in the ground so it’s knee high by then. Remember that corn is a very heavy feeder. Give it some nitrogen love (but not too much). Test your soil, yo. Mine has like zero N’s and lots of P’s and K’s. Yours might be the same, or it might be different, and these ratios affect what fertilizer you should use. Corn, like you, also needs micronutrients, especially calcium and magnesium. Corn, like you (probably), likes companionship. Classic: beans and squash. Also: melons and cukes. White clover. You’re kinda using these as living mulch to keep the soil around your corn from drying out. As always, toss in some marigolds and nasturtiums for beneficial insects. Corn. Really? We’re planting corn right now? Isn’t it supposed to be cool and wet? Happy gardening. Safe travels.