The Gorge Is My Gym

GORGE WIND FORECAST

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SHORT-TERM gorge wind forecast

Hi friends! Are you worn out yet? Did you get enough Rufus / Wall time? I hope so! That was one amazing stretch of wind! Starting today, we lose the persistent marine clouds, and we lose the super-strong offshore high pressure. This is going to make folks who like lighter wind very, very happy – the next chance for a big (30+) day isn’t until next Tuesday when the next cooldown (not The Cooldown You Were Looking For) arrives and nudges the wind upwards.

Before I forget… on Friday, there are a couple of Duotone demos happening: wing demo from 10-5 at Luhr Jensen and kite demo 12-5 at the Sandbar. The following Friday, Duotone will have demos at the KB4C demo day at the Event Site. Also, one of my friends is looking for a 2024 (purple) Duotone Downwinder SLS 135L. If you have one to offload, please let me know!

Thursday started with marine clouds west of Hood River, sunshine to the east, and pressures of 30.08/29.99/29.98 for gradients of 0.09/0.01. This suggests you’ll want to stay west of The Dalles today, and models agree. Dawn Patrol wind was 17-20mph from Viento to the Hatch with 16-19mph near Rufus and under 10mph pretty much everywhere else. By late morning, westerlies build to 20-23mph from Viento to Mosier with 13-16mph near Rowena. Afternoon westerlies rise to 19-22mph from Stevenson to Doug’s with 14-17mph at Avery.

A weak system impacts us in the afternoon as a low moves towards BC. This could impact wind quality and strength. Don’t be surprised if there’s a mid-afternoon rise, then significant dip for a few hours. In the evening, we’ll see 20-23mph from Mosier to Rufus with 15-18mph from Stevenson to Hood River. River flow over the last 24 hours was 153-223kcfs (169-223 at Rufus), river temp is 65.5F, and high temp forecast is 74F in Hood River.

RIVER FLOW FOR SITES BETWEEN AVERY (EAST OF THE DALLES) AND RUFUS: CLICK HERE FOR JOHN DAY DAM FLOW.

RIVER FLOW FOR SITES BETWEEN STEVENSON AND DOUG’S BEACH (WEST OF THE DALLES): CLICK HERE FOR THE DALLES DAM FLOW

LONGER-TERM gorge wind forecast

Early morning moving pieces give way to a more settled setup on Friday afternoon. Early wind will be 12-15mph from Stevenson to The Hatch with 7-10mph eastward into the desert. Thermal assistance contributes as the day progresses. By late morning, we’ll have 19-22mph from Stevenson to Mosier with 13-16mph from Lyle to Rufus. For the afternoon session, thank the desert heat (almost 90 degrees). Westerlies rise to 21-24mph from Stevenson to Rufus with 14-17mph east of Rufus to Arlington. If the clouds fully burn off west of Hood River, the Hatch is likely to under-perform in the afternoon and drop to gusty 16-19mph. High temps: 81F in Hood River and 87F east of The Dalles.

Models suggest a stronger day on Saturday as a weak front approaches, moves through, and allows high pressure to build behind it. Most reliable conditions are likely to be late in the day as the dynamics settle down. Early wind will be 22-25mph from Stevenson to Mosier with 17-20mph east of Mosier to Arlington. Prior to the weather system, we’re likely to see a jump to 26-29mph from Stevenson to Doug’s with low 20s out east. The wind drops as the system swings through and rebounds after the passage. If the timing is early enough, we’ll be left with 27-30mph from Stevenson to Arlington and 24-27mph at the Hatch, where sensors read low. High temps: 82F in Hood River and nearly 90 in the desert.

Models suggest a dip in the wind on Sunday as heating increases across the region. As of this morning, it looks like we’ll see 20ish mph at the Hatch early fading in the afternoon. Ensembles offer up too much uncertainty on Monday to make guesses at the strength, but they hint at 15mph or more. Most of the ensembles agree on a windy day Tuesday (why is it always Tuesday – that’s my big work day!) as the hot spell breaks with the approach of a weather system. This isn’t The Cooldown You Were Looking For, but it should be good enough to give us another solid west wind day. See you on the Nch’i Wana soon!

BARE BONES HOOD RIVER WEATHER FORECAST

Sunny today. Temps start in the upper 50s and rise to the mid 70s. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Friday will be sunny. Temps start in the low 50s and rise to the low 80s. Moderate to moderately strong westerlies. No rainbows. Saturday will be sunny. Temps start in the mid 50s and rise to the low 80s. Strong westerlies. No rainbows.