wind - The Gorge is my Gym

Please support this forecast by clicking on the photo of the forecaster and making a donation via Paypal!

Your forecaster. Click on her to donate. Thank you!

Thank you for using this forecast. Please tell your friends about it. And if you or your friends think this service is awesome/useful/saves you gas money/makes your life more fun (that’s the important part), make a donation by clicking on my photo above. Is more fun worth $50/year? $20/year? More? Less? Donate what it’s worth to you (and thank you!), but $12 minimum gets you on the email list (with occasional giveaways) for a year. Don’t use Paypal? You can mail a check to Temira at PO Box 841 in Hood River, 97031. Thank you!

Awesome local business: 2nd Wind

Hey, 2nd Wind has moved. Find them on the corner of 2nd and State on the new pavement, with lots of parking and none of those pesky printout-style parking meters. The new store is awesome – swing by and check it out. With less foot traffic wandering in and out, 2nd on 2nd’s super knowledgeable staff will have more time to help you find the best gear for your playtime in the Gorge. And remember, they do used gear too – bring them your summer consignments. See you at 2nd on 2nd, and make sure to be at the official ribbon cutting on June 5th at 5pm!

Random Morning Thoughts

Many thanks to those of you who have served in the military or who have sacrificed in so many ways while your friends and family members served in the military. And best of luck to my friend Jeff who is on his way to Afghanistan.

Your favorite beach	Dawn Patrol	9am- 11:30a	11:30a- 3pm	3pm- dusk
Today’s Gorge Wind
Rooster’s Rocks	light	light	light	light
Steven’s Locks	5-10	10-13	rainy 10-13	gusty 13-16
Hatchery (minus a few for Hood River)	5-10	15-18	gusty 11-15	gusty 13-16
Doug’s, etc.	10-13	15-18	gusty 23-26	gusty 23-26
Rufus, etc.	5-10	15-18	gusty 23-26	gusty 23-26
Roosevelt, etc.	10-13	15-18	gusty 23-26	gusty 23-26

Gorge Wind

The wind will be light early, W 15-18 by noon and W 23-26 by 2pm. Those wind speeds will be everywhere east of the cloud line, currently somewhere between Mosier and Lyle. You’ll find gusty 11-15 under the clouds.

Tomorrow sees low pressure set up over the inland PNW. We’ll have light wind early, but as a strong weather system moves inland after 2pm, we’ll see the wind jump from nothing to W 21-24, perhaps becoming a lot stronger after 4pm. This isn’t a great setup for wind, and you will likely have to do some chasing, but you’ll be able to get on the water (briefly) at most locations tomorrow as this weather system swings through.

Wednesday sees lots of low clouds and showers in the western Gorge. If you head east of the cloud line, probably as far as Maryhill, you’ll find 22-25 early and 25-29 in the afternoon.

Gorge Weather

It’s cloudy and sprinkly this morning. Expect similar weather through early afternoon, when the low clouds will likely break up some, leaving us with high clouds. Temps will be in the upper 50’s early and upper 60’s this afternoon with increasing west wind. Chance of rainbows is 10% in Hood River and 30% in Mosier.

Tomorrow looks cloudy with temps in the mid 40’s early and upper 60’s late with light wind early and strong wind late. Wednesday looks cloudy and showery. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and low 60’s late with gusty and moderate westerlies in the central Gorge. There’s a good chance of rainbows on Wednesday.

Road and Mountain Biking

Tonia posted something on Strava yesterday about the dirt in Post Canyon being a perfect 10 on the tack scale. This surprised me. It must have rained up there. I’d probably better go check it out today. I can tell you that the pavement is perfect on both Lake Branch and Vista Ridge, and according to Mike S., who rode Three Summits yesterday (at a blistering 17.3mph average, thankfully without me), all three roads are in good shape. 88-23-90 above Trout Lake is not yet open. Thanks, Lora M.!

8 Mile, Knebal, Surveyor’s, Dog and the Superconnector are all open. 15 Mile? Lewis River?

The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear. Temira approves. Click to join.

River Levels

Guess what? I forgot to call Wet Planet AGAIN yesterday. The White Salmon is at 3.9′. The Hood is at 4.6′, the Klickitat’s at 2250cfs, and the Columbia is at 355kcfs at John Day. The Dalles sensor is down.

Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events

There’s not much going on today in sports events. There’s pickup Ultimate Frisbee at May Street Elementary at 6pm. My friend Brian’s wedding party is today. I believe that’s an event and worth mentioning. Congrats, Brian and to his new wife – we’ll leave her out of the forecast so we don’t identify the happy couple publicly!

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

Please support this forecast by clicking on the photo of the forecaster and making a donation via Paypal!

Your forecaster. Click on her to donate. Thank you!

The Hood 2 River Relay

Come race the Hood 2 River Relay. Start on Mt. Hood. Alpine ski, Nordic ski, mountain bike, road bike, road run, boat (kayak/canoe/SUP) and then sprint 500 meters to the finish line. Open to individuals and teams. And if you’re racing or not, you’re invited to the Full Sail Brewing After-Party, Presented by Bob Stone Subaru, beginning at noon! Full Sail beer, Naked Winery Outdoor Vino, burgers, chicken sausages and veggie and Tofurky options grilled by the Lion’s Club. Music by Tony Smiley. Vendor Expo. May 31, Hood River Marina. People who’ve subscribed to the mailing list are able to enter a drawing for a free entry. Subscribe, and maybe you’ll be a lucky winner too!

Random Morning Thoughts

You know that cake recipe I posted on National Devil’s Food Cake Day? I made that cake yesterday. It’s the best cake I’ve ever eaten. Amazing.

Your favorite beach	Dawn Patrol	9am- 11:30a	11:30a- 3pm	3pm- dusk
Today’s Gorge Wind
Rooster’s Rocks	light	light	light	light
Steven’s Locks	0-10	10-14	21-24	24-27
Hatchery (minus a few for Hood River)	15-18	15-18	gusty 22-25	gusty 17-21
Doug’s, etc.	0-10	10-13	gusty 23-26	gusty 17-21
Rufus, etc.	0-10	10-14	gusty 22-26	15-18
Roosevelt, etc.	0-10	10-14	22-26	25-29

Gorge Wind

It’s cloudy out there this morning, and that’s not ideal for wind – it means that stuff is moving around in the atmosphere, and that tends to make things gusty on the river. The morning gradient is .06, and interestingly, it’s blowing 19 at the Hatchery and 0 at both Stevenson and the Event Site (as well as at my house which overlooks both The Hook and the freeway).

Anyway, as a front moves in early this afternoon, you can expect gusty 21-25 from Stevenson to Arlington, picking up to gusty 25-29 after 5pm from Stevenson to Arlington. This is the kind of setup where we might see 90 minutes of decent wind at Hood River before everyone is left confused looking at big gradients and wind at Stevenson, Avery and Arlington.

Tomorrow starts with low clouds in the western Gorge and a weak low off the coast. As that low moves south, the wind will pick up. So, expect light wind early, 15-18 east of Hood River by 11am, slowly picking up to 25-29 from Mosier to Arlington late in the day as high pressure builds off the coast. The western Gorge will likely stay cloudy, with gusty 13-16.

Tuesday starts with light wind as another low pressure system sits off the coast. As a weather system moves inland, the wind will pick up to … I dunno… upper teens? Low twenties? We might see some thunder and rain late Tuesday, so I wouldn’t count on it for a great day on the river.

Gorge Weather

It’s cloudy this morning and will stay cloudy today with a chance of rain after 5pm. Rainbows are unlikely due to the extent of the clouds. Temps will be in the mid 50’s early and upper 60’s to low 70’s this afternoon. Wind will increase during the day. Tomorrow starts off with partly cloudy sky and a few showers, giving us a 35% chance of rainbows. Temps will be in the low 50’s early and upper 60’s in the afternoon with increasing west wind that becomes strong late in the day.

Tuesday may be sunny early, but it will quickly become cloudy. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and low 60’s in the afternoon with light wind early and stronger wind late. We may see rain Tuesday night, and we’ll very likely get drenched on Wednesday. In an interesting twist, it looks like the snow level will be 5000-5500′ on Wednesday with significant precipitation. In other words, expect new snow at ski resort elevations.

Road and Mountain Biking

I heard yesterday that 8 Mile is open. Someone cleared the trees on the Surveyor’s doubletrack. The Superconnector has one tree down. Falls Creek is open. Has anyone ridden Lewis River? How about Siouxon? Now… things are getting a little dusty on the low-elevation trails, but hope is in sight. It’s looking rainy on Wednesday. Hooray! Yes, DVZ, I think you’ll get your 1/4-1/2”. You’d better go swing by Down Manor and talk to Aidea.

In road bike news, both Lake Branch and Vista Ridge are open. Does anyone have any news for the 88-90-23 above Trout Lake?

The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear. Temira approves. Click to join.

River Levels

Guess what? I forgot to call Wet Planet AGAIN yesterday. Anyway, they posted the level on Facebook: 3.9′. The Hood is at 4.6′, the Klickitat’s at 2400cfs, and the Columbia is at 374kcfs at John Day and 378kcfs at The Dalles.

Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events

Friends of the Gorge has a songbird hike at Swale Canyon. But we’re all too late for that – it started at 5:30am. This afternoon is Gus’s birthday party at 4pm. And there’s pickup touch rugby at 3pm at the Mosier School and there’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory at 3pm.

Finally, don’t forget that next Saturday is the Hood 2 River Relay, so get yourself and your team signed up for this multi-sport extravaganza brought to you by Breakaway Promotions, the folks who bring you all the coolest races here in the Gorge.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira