It’s really quite a lovely morning on the river, and the synoptic-scale weather setup is a good one for continued westerlies today; a weak weather feature moved through last night, and the upper level lows sitting around the region aren’t going to make much movement today. That should leave us with relatively steady wind and a fun day on the river. Tomorrow looks less windy, and Monday looks like a nuker. Continued after the chart.
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster’s Rocks | your bum | needs | sunscreen | at this beach |
|
| Steven’s Locks | 15-18 | 18-22 | 22-26 | 22-26 | |
| Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) | 15-18 | 21-24 | 24-28 | 21-24 | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | 15-18 | 21-24 | 24-28 | 24-28 | |
| Rufus, etc. | 10-13 | 13-15 | 15-18 | 18-22 | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 10-13 | 13-15 | 15-18 | 18-22 | |
|
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Gorge Wind forecast, continued…
At 6am today, there was already a westerly breeze in the teens with gradients at .11 (pdx-dls) and .03 (dls-psc). Expect those gradients and the accompanying wind to build as the days goes on. We’ll see teens this morning from Swell to Mosier, picking up to 24-28 midday from Swell to Mosier. By later this afternoon, Stevenson and the Rowena stretch of river should join in the 24-28 range. Model forecasts for Maryhill and Arlington are showing 15-18 this afternoon, but let’s call it 18-22 based on gut instinct.
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Tomorrow sees both upper level lows (one over BC and in in CA) start an inland trek. That will weaken gradients, leaving us with a light wind start to the day. Expect 5-10 or less in the morning, through early afternoon. Late in the day, the gradients and the wind will be on the rise, giving us a short-lived and possibly quick-moving burst of wind in the upper teens to low twenties. That wind will likely be accessible from Stevenson to Doug’s, and if we’re lucky, it might be stronger than predicted. On the other hand, there is a very good chance of thunderstorms both tomorrow afternoon and at night, so the wind might not materialize after all.
As those low pressure systems move inland on Sunday night, the gradients increase. It’s not a perfect setup; the offshore high is a bit weak, but it’ll still be enough. Expect westerlies at 30+ by early afternoon, probably strongest from Lyle to Rufus as clouds fill the western Gorge. I’m almost certain that Arlington and Threemile will join the fun too. Tuesday looks like 22-25 or so, strongest east of Mosier.
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Rest in peace, Lisa Moulding.
Random Morning Thoughts
Sometimes when I look at the models the night before, I don’t put two and two together. Sometimes I equate upper teen wind with no wind. So, I was delighted this morning to wake up to a cooling breeze. I opened my windows and doors (which required putting Strava on a leash) and took advantage of Mother Nature’s air conditioning.
Wind in the teens doesn’t equate to windy in my world, because I’m a high-wind windsurfer, not a slalom sailor or a kiter or someone for whom this morning’s wind strength is enough for playtime. Seeing myself equating 15-18 with glassy makes me wonder about other times I might do the similar things; how often is my worldview that black-and-white without me noticing it?
See if you can catch yourself making these sorts of all-or-nothing cognitive distortions. Maybe you didn’t ace that test, get that job, catch your kid sneaking out last night, or maybe your mind wandered while you were meditating. And now you’re beating yourself up.
Guess what? You’re not aiming for perfect. The world isn’t all-or-nothing. You’re just doing your best. You weren’t 100% perfect, but maybe you were 45% perfect. That’s pretty dang good! You didn’t get exactly what you wanted, but you learned something. The wind has gradations between glassy and nuking, and our world has gradations between achievement and not achieving. Celebrate what you did achieve (even if it’s something tiny), and keep making the effort. And remember, you are awesome.
Gorge Weather Forecast
May-gust continues today with another round of unseasonably warm weather and mid-summer-like wind. Expect temps in the upper 50’s this morning and in the low 80’s this afternoon (open your windows and doors now and close them up before the heat arrives). Moderate to strong wind. No rainbows, no thunder.
Tomorrow looks different. Expect sunshine or maybe some high clouds in the morning with convective clouds and a chance of thunder in the afternoon. We might even see thunder and lightning tomorrow night! Temps will be in the low 50’s early and the mid 80’s in the afternoon. Light wind, no rainbows, relatively high humidity, and a good chance of thunder.
Everything changes on Monday. Expect a deep marine layer and a chance of showers with temps 10 to 15 degrees lower than Sunday: upper 50’s early and low 70’s in the afternoon. NUKING wind, 19% chance of rainbows.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
I’m a little concerned that not enough people have been riding Gunsight, so I’m going to check it out for y’all today. Remember, everything is open! In road bike news, tomorrow looks like a light wind day until the afternoon, so take that opportunity to squeeze in a nice long ride if that’s your thing.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
WAKE UP RIGHT. STOKED ROASTERS on the Hood River Waterfront is all about premium coffee to kick start your day in a positive way. Our roasts are packed with good vibes by awesome people who love to be outside as much as you. So come on in and say “stoked roasters makes me smile” and receive 10% off of all coffee drinks. #stokedroasters #getstoked
Upcoming Events
Today’s events include the Hood 2 River Relay, happening everywhere between Hood River and Mt. Hood. Today’s also a fundraiser shuttle day at the Cold Creek Thrillium trail in Camas. There are windsurfing races at the Hood River Events site today too. The weekly Saturday events include an 8am trail run at Post Canyon and pickleball at 9:30 at Westside Elementary in Hood River.
Coming up tomorrow, Big Winds has free standup paddle demos and lessons at the Event Site at various times during the day. Mt. Adams Parks n’ Rec has a fundraiser run at Rheingarten Park, there’s pickup touch rugby at 3pm in Mosier, Ping Pong at 5:30 at the Hood River Armory, and Community Yoga at 9am at Yoga Samadhi and 6pm at Root Down Yoga.
Speaking of community sports, registration is now open for the summer Gorge Ultimate Frisbee league. It’s $40 for the summer. Click through to get signed up. One last thing: if you are thinking of doing the Mt. Adams Country Bicycle Tour, get signed up now because the price goes up on June 1st.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
