This forecast contains snakes and wind. 6/10

Good morning!

It’s already windy on the Columbia this morning with the Portland to The Dalles gradient at .07 and another .08 out east. In the western Gorge under the clouds, winds blow in the 15-18 range today, but from about Rowena east to Arlington, we’ll see 26-30. My pick today is Rufus and The Wall this afternoon, assuming the current isn’t overly strong. If it is, I pick Doug’s.

Models are having a hard time with tomorrow, but I think we’ll see mid twenties near Hood River, with a little less at Stevenson and Lyle and a lot less in the desert. No matter how much wind we get, it’s going to turn more northerly and get gusty in the afternoon. But more importantly, it’s going to be sunny tomorrow. Saturday does not look windy. However, it looks like we’ll see 80 degrees, and that’s a fine tradeoff. Sunday depends on timing. I expect a big day Monday. =)

If you’re thinking about the coast, it looks great both today through Saturday from Lincoln City south if you’re a windsurfer, and everywhere except Pistol if you kite (unless you like kiting in 35-40). The swell is 7 feet today and tomorrow, 3 on Saturday and 7 on Sunday. Those are west swells with 9 second periods. I wish mine was that short…

If you’re headed over to Syncline to bike or hike, keep your eyes open for rattlesnakes. I had two people tell me yesterday that they’ve seen rattlers, and one dog was bitten already. You may want to leave your dog at home if you’re headed there, and don’t forget, speaking of dogs and biking, that dogs are not allowed on Hospital Hill at this time.

Boaters, the Hood’s at 5.7 feet, the White Salmon’s at 4 feet, and the Klickitat’s at 2980 cfs. I had thought the Wind was done for the season, but with all this rain it’s at 6.7 feet and Wet Planet’s running one last trip down the Wind River on Saturday.

If you enjoy this forecast, you can get it in your inbox for just $10. Paypal to get this via email until May 31st, 2011. That’s 11 more months of wind, snow, and the occasional f-bomb for less than the price of a cup of coffee each month (if you know where to get coffee for $1, please tell me). Scroll down to the “donate” button at the bottom, and pay $10 via your PayPal account or your credit card.

Have a great day today, and thank you for reading this every morning!

Temira