Saturday: westerlies, perhaps - The Gorge is my Gym

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. =)
Iwash (Rooster) Rock	LTW	G20-25	G20-25	G10-15
Stevenson	G10-15	G20-25	G20-25	G10-15
Viento	G10-15	G20-25	G20-25	G10-15
Swell-Hood River	LTV	LTW	G10-15	LTW
Lyle to Doug’s	LTV	LTW	G10-15	LTW
Rufus, etc.	LTV	G20-30	G20-30	G18-23
Roosevelt & Arlington	LTV	G20-30	G20-30	G18-23

Gorge Wind Forecast

Good morning, friends! We’ve reached the day holding our best shot at westerlies this week. This is far from an ideal setup, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Worst outcome: you drive out east, get skunked on wind, and have some great food at Amayah’s (mark your calendar for their one-year anniversary on the 28th!)

Here’s what’s happening today: a strong cold front with an accompanying low-level jet slams into us from the NW. Right ahead of this front, during it, and perhaps just after, elevated wind will likely touch down to the surface. We’re more likely to experience strong gusts than continuous wind. Conditions will probably be less gusty in areas less contained – in other words, Arlington, Threemile, Boardman… Yes, you’re going to have to drive for this one. The central Gorge, Swell to Doug’s, just isn’t situated right.

So… timing is everything. Ahead of this system, Iwash (Rooster) to Viento will pick up to very gusty W 20-30. Central Gorge: less than 10mph. Areas east of The Dalles: very gusty 20-30 with big top-end gusts. Models suggest the windiest period will be 10am to 1pm. After that: a quick fade to very gusty 20-23 east of The Dalles. However… models also suggest rain from 10am to 1pm. And… it appears reality is running a bit behind the models timing-wise. So. Drive pre-emptively. For the best results, go somewhere east of The Dalles. Be very cautious about your choices: the strongest wind will only last a few hours. This probably isn’t the best day to attempt a long downwind run without an easy exit unless your skills are top-notch and you’re prepared to walk or slog if necessary. River flow yesterday was 110-135kcfs. River temp is 55F. High temp forecast is 55F for Hood River and 60F for the Biggs area.

Sunday sees the return of easterlies. Expect 25ish through early afternoon at both Iwash and Stevenson. Viento: less, as per usual. Stevenson is likely to be a bit stronger than Iwash late morning; models suggest 20-25 at Iwash and 25-30 at Stevenson. High temp: 53F under high overcast sky. Monday’s opening gambit is very light west wind. By afternoon, the wind turns calm. The latter half of next week holds the potential for several days of easterlies in the 20-30 range. Nothing doing in the forecast for westerlies in the next week after today. Yet. Things could always change. Be safe today!

FORECAST SPONSORED BY / AWESOME COMPANIES TO SUPPORT

Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast – On vacation ‘til summer unless otherwise noted

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast – intermittent forecasts until ski season

The snow level bounces around over the next several days. Mt. Hood will pick up a little bit of snow here and there, but it’ll also receive a bit of drizzle. Models continue to keep temps just a little too warm through next week. After that, uncertainty increases, but so does the chance of the snow level holding at 5000′ or less.

Saturday’s mountain highlight is the wind, but there’s also some precip. The snow level will be 6000′ early, 6500′ mid-morning, and 4000-4500′ from early afternoon on. About 0.5” water equivalent (WE) is forecast this morning. That’ll start as rain and switch to wet snow. Perhaps an inch or so will fall at 5000′. A trace of snow is forecast late afternoon before the sky briefly clears. Today’s wind: that’s the fun part! As a cold front approaches, the wind jumps to WSW 40-60. As it passes, the wind turns to W 55. That’d be enough to shut down some lifts if there were a bunch running. The wind quickly fades in the afternoon and lands at SSW 10 after midnight.

Sunday looks dry all day with a trace of mixed precip overnight. The snow level will be 4000′ in the morning, 6000′ when the precip is happening, and 4000′ after midnight. Wind: SSW 10 in the morning builds to SW 20-40 overnight. A few flurries Monday morning give way to mostly cloudy sky. The snow level will be 4000′ all day and will rise to 5500′ after midnight. SW wind at 20-35 mph in the morning falls to 5-10 int eh afternoon and becomes variable overnight. Another round of light mixed precip is possible Tuesday night. After that – better chances for dry weather through the end of next week. Have a great Saturday. If you’re looking for Nordic gear, there’s a swap at Working Hands in Hood River this evening from 4-6pm.

Hood River Weather Forecast

Clouds early add rain mid-morning and sprinkles this afternoon. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and mid 50’s later. Light to moderate westerlies. 99% chance of rainbows. Sunday will be dry and high overcast during the day with rain in the evening. Temps start in the upper 30’s and rise to the low 50’s. Easterlies. No rainbows. Monday starts showery and turns dry by late morning. Temps start near 40 and rise to the mid 50’s. Light westerlies. 99% 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!

There’s a Nordic ski swap at Working Hands in Hood River on November 11th, 4-6pm. HRATS has a work party s in Post Canyon on November 12th. The. On November 28th, Amayah’s has their one-year anniversary party in Biggs. Also, every first Thursday, 1pm to 4pm, they are offering free meals to all. Yup. That’s right. Free Amayah’s once a month!

Regular weekly events:. NK Studio’s by-donation Tuesday morning yoga class is back. 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. The Tri Club is done for the season. 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.

Cycling

Mud in many places with the exception of Syncline. Don’t ride in the mud. You’ll damage the trails. Ride gravel. Ride your trainer. Build trails. There are trail builders seeking extra hands on seven additional miles of trail on Whoopdee. Contact HRATS for more information. See events section of this report for upcoming trail work parties on various trail systems. If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.