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The great cooldown begins…

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by Gath Helmets. Wearing a helmet is really cool. Seriously. Check out pro bike racers, pro skiers, pro kayakers and pro snowboarders. They’re all really cool (except for the doping bike racers), and they all wear helmets. Be like them. Wear a helmet. Check out some of the cool styles from Gath here. Gath helmets are thin, light and close-fitting, and they last forever. You’ll barely notice they’re on, until you smack your head (or someone runs into your head) and you realize you’re still alive. Get a Gath. One of the email subscribers is going to win a free Gath helmet this week. That’s like getting an extra life. (and if you’re not on the list, subscribe by clicking the donate button below for a suggested $10 donation.)

Despite the heat, the gradient had already turned westerly through the Gorge yesterday, but the gradient is only at .02 this morning. There is very little marine cloud coverage in Western Oregon this morning, so the chance of wind this afternoon is pretty light. If we get lucky, we’ll have 13-15 this evening from Stevenson to Hood River – I’d say it’s a 50/50 chance, and if predicted thunderstorms develop, we’re not going to get any wind today.

If you like lots of wind, tomorrow is the day you’ve been waiting for. An upper level low crossing the Cascades south of the Columbia combines with a passing frontal system to set up big gradients across the Gorge tomorrow. Of course, it’s not clear yet where the cloud line will end up, so it’s hard to tell if the strongest wind will be at Mosier or at the Hatchery in the morning. Either way, expect 28-32, with a chance of even more, from Hood River to Doug’s in the morning, filling in at The Wall and Arlington later in the day.

Since there are weather dynamics going on tomorrow, there’s a good chance the wind will be quite gusty, but if you love high wind and can take some time off tomorrow, you should.

The westerlies back off a little on Thursday, but they’ll keep blowing into the foreseeable future. That means through the weekend, as best as I can tell.

If you need something to do tonight, there’s the Tuesday Night Tri workout meeting at the east end of the Hood River Event Site around 6pm. If you can’t make the Tuesday workout, there’s now a bonus Thursday Tri workout. Same place, same time.

Coming up this Saturday, CGWA is putting on a CPR class. This isn’t limited to windsurfers, so anyone can register. Visit GorgeWindsrufing.org for more information, and if you sign up today, you get a discount on the registration.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s just below 2 feet and the Klickitat’s right around 850 cfs.

Have a great day today!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til May 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.

Categories
Forecast

8/16 swimming report

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by Gath Helmets. Wearing a helmet is really cool. Seriously. Check out pro bike racers, pro skiers, pro kayakers and pro snowboarders. They’re all really cool (except for the doping bike racers), and they all wear helmets. Be like them. Wear a helmet. Check out some of the cool styles from Gath here. Gath helmets are thin, light and close-fitting, and they last forever. You’ll barely notice they’re on, until you smack your head (or someone runs into your head) and you realize you’re still alive. Get a Gath. One of the email subscribers is going to win a free Gath helmet this week. That’s like getting an extra life. (and if you’re not on the list, subscribe by clicking the donate button below for a suggested $10 donation.)

It’s going to be really hot and not windy at all today, so if you’re not in an air-conditioned office, grab your kayak, your standup paddle board, your air mattress, your inflatable alligator or your ski boat, and head to the closest water for some relief from the 100 degree heat.

Tomorrow’s going to be really hot and too, but if we get really lucky, we’ll see some relief – and some wind – in the afternoon as marine air starts to push inland. The timing of this marine push is tough to call, so I’ll just say there’s a 10% chance of 15-18 at Stevenson by 4pm and in Hood River by 6:30pm. Like I said, we’re going to need some luck to get enough west wind tomorrow to get on the river.

If the wind doesn’t come back Tuesday, it’s going to return with a vengeance on Wednesday as a low pressure trough sets up along the coast, sending a solid marine push into Portland. Models are underpredicting the wind on this one, I think. We can expect mid-twenties on Wednesday morning as cloudy Portland teams up with the blazing hot desert for a good west wind day.

Coming up this evening, there’s free Tai Chi, Bikram-style, at Wilson Park in Hood River at 6pm. Also tonight is the Alternative ride, a casual cruise from Hood River to Msoier and back, leaving Mountain View cycles at 6:30pm. If you brave the heat and come on that bike ride, you’re in the running for some sort of cool raffle prize from the shop.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s just under 2 feet and the Klickitat’s at 850cfs. If you’re not a boater yet, today’s a great day to take some lessons and beat the heat!

Have a great day today!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til May 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.