Sunday 5/14: warm, and just enough easterly to get on the river!

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	E20-30	25-30	20-25	15
Steven’s Locks	E15-20	E20-25	E15-20	E15
Viento	E15-20	E20-25	E15-20	E15
Swell-Hood River	LTE	LTE	E5-10	E10-15
Lyle to Doug’s	LTE	LTE	E5-10	E10-15
Rufus, etc.	LTE	LTE	E5-10	E10-15
Roosevelt & Arlington	LTE	LTE	E5-10	E10-15

Gorge Wind Forecast

The wind forecast, other than some easterlies for Sunday, remains dire through the end of next week. We see a hint of upper teens in the models Friday followed by a better chance for wind next Saturday and especially next Sunday and Monday. As always, these long-range forecasts aren’t all that reliable and need to be taken with a grain of salt.

For Sunday, the day kicks off with easterlies. You’ll find 20-30 at Rooster and 15-20 from Stevenson to Viento to start. Rooster picks up to a more consistent 25-30 mid-morning, and Stevenson/Viento rise to 20ish or so. Afternoon wind falls to 15mph from Rooster to Viento and picks up to 10-15 from Swell to Arlington. Remember that very strong current will be going WITH this wind. Consider a nice long downwind/down-current paddle! River flow is 328kcfs, river temp is 56F, and high temp forecast is 87F. Maybe a little warmer. Stay hydrated!

Monday sees a low pressure system take up residence along the Oregon Coast. Hey, that’s not what we want for wind! Indeed, the outlook is bleak. We’ll have E 10-15 from Rooster to Viento early, calm wind midday, and perhaps a burst of short-lived, questionably-useful westerlies near Hood River mid-afternoon as things destabilize and a thunderstorm or two pops up. High temp: 87F. Oh… the humidity will really pick up in the afternoon. It sure would be nice to get on the water!

Tuesday has that fun little low offshore still. That leaves us calm to start. Midday westerlies might pick up to 10-13 from Viento to Mosier, but they’ll drop to “light” in the afternoon. High temp: 87F with a chance of showers/thunder once again. Wednesday: ho-hum, not windy at all. As we get into the latter half of the week, the ensembles have all sorts of ideas about the possibility of upper teens. Maybe. Maybe not. There’s a much stronger hint of wind over the weekend and early part of next week. That said, the weather will remain unseasonably warm. The river flow will remain high, and the river temp will remain chilly.

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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. Sunday: NNE15/NNE15/Variable to 15, W swell 5′ at 13 seconds. Monday: SW20-25/S15-20/S20-25, W 3′ @ 10. Tuesday: LTV/LTW/LTN, 2′ swell. Jones Sunday: LTE. Monday: 11-14. Tuesday: 17-20. Sauvie Island Sunday: E10. Monday: N13-16, briefly, late. Watch for thunder. Tuesday: 7-10 late.

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

On vacation until fall unless something extraordinary happens.

Hood River Weather Forecast

Sunday will be totally clear to start with some high clouds later and a very slight chance of thunder. Temps will be in the low 60’s early and upper 80’s later. Moderate easterlies. No rainbows. Monday will be partly cloudy (colorful sunrise) to start and mostly cloudy with thunder possible later. Showers are also possible, maybe even likely. Temps will be in the low 60’s early and upper 80’s later. Muggy. Light and variable wind. 4% chance of rainbows. Tuesday starts partly to mostly cloudy and stays that way. Slight chance of showers and thunder. Calm wind early. Light westerlies later. 7% 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.