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Forecast

Thursday: heat, smoke and wind, redux.



Today’s Gorge Wind – these are ranges for the average speed, not a predicted wind range. =)
Your favorite beach Dawn
Patrol
9am-
11:30a
11:30a-
3pm
3pm-
dusk
Rooster Rock late summer brown buns
Steven’s Locks 5-10 12-15 15-18 15-18
Hatchery/Wunderbar 5-10 12-15 17-20 17-20
Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena 5-10 5-10 10-13 10-13
Rufus, etc. light light light light
Roosevelt, etc. light light light light

 


 

Gorge Wind Forecast


It was lovely to see a gazillion people riding a variety of wind and no-wind floating objects out near the waterfront park yesterday. I saw foil kites, pole-foils, downwind SUP boards, kayakers, a prone paddler (me), windsurfers, kiters, a catamaran, sailboats (including one that had a bit of a spinnaker mishap – handled well!), and I think I saw a surfski. The Gorge is so cool, and so are all of you getting out there playing!

Today looks rather similar: we’ll start with light west wind and a .08 gradient between Portland and The Dalles. .River flow is 125kcfs and temp is 71 degrees. The wind will build to 17-20 or so by late morning, holding through the evening. You’ll find that wind between Cascade Locks and Mosier, with 10-13 or so this afternoon from Lyle to Doug’s.

Tomorrow looks… interesting and complicated. An upper level low that’s been hanging over northern California will start to move north and east into southern Oregon. This will put us under southerly, moist flow, likely kicking off thunderheads or thunderstorms in the afternoon in the Cascades south of the Columbia. This will also result in more marine air for Portland on Friday morning, setting up stronger wind for the Gorge. With all the dynamics, the wind will be inconsistent and rangy. That said, we’ll start Friday with 21-24 from Viento to Hood River. The wind will pick up late morning to rangy 23-28 between Cascade Locks and The Dalles. The most consistent wind will likely be near Stevenson and the Wunderbar, but you’ll find periods of consistent wind in other locations. Once the thunderheads really get building, all bets are off.

The low pressure system moves further east during the day Saturday, marine air piles into Portland, and a cold front approaches during the day. Again, these sorts of dynamics are not good for wind consistency. With that caveat, we are expecting more atmospheric stability and bigger gradients on Sunday, and also a chance of marine clouds in Hood River early. So… we’ll start the day with 25-29 east of Hood River. The wind will pick up to rangy 26-32 between Cascade Locks and Threemile in the afternoon. The Lyle-Doug’s stretch of river is often the most consistent, or at least the strongest, in this kind of setup.

The inconsistency continues Sunday morning with sprinkles in Hood River and 23-26 east of Mosier. The wind should steady out and build to 26-30 Sunday afternoon between Mosier and Arlington. It’s a little hard to say what will happen in the western Gorge. Depends on if/when the clouds burn off. Probably 13-17 if cloudy and gusty 23-27 if sunny.
 


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Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast


Jones Thursday: 22-25. Friday: 21-24. Saturday: 10-13. Sauvie’s Thursday: 10-13. Friday: 10-13 late. Saturday: nope. Coast (north/central/south). Thursday: no/nope/10-15, NW swell 3′ at 7 seconds. Friday: no/uh-uh/15-20, NW 3′ @ 7. Saturday: no/no/25-30, W 2′ @ 7.
 

Random Morning Thoughts

It seems so obvious to say that we only have so much energy. But we forget. We ignore warning signals, push ourselves beyond our capacity, and then we end up tired, anxious, depressed. We don’t just do this with our own responsibilities; because we care, we take on added responsibilities to our friends, family and communities.

We often forget one simple fact: if we are stretched too thin, if we are exhausted and drained, we cannot provide our full attention and energy to the people and causes we care about.

While I do believe it’s important to give back to the world around us, I also know that it’s important to nourish and care for ourselves so we can give without emptying our own batteries. If we don’t care for “me”, we can’t give to others.

How is this dynamic playing out in your life? Are you saying “yes” to outside commitments before you’ve said “yes” enough to yourself? If you feel stressed, tired, drained or overwhelmed, the answer is probably “yes I am”. If that’s the case, it’s time to do some reflection on what boundaries will allow you to remain emotionally healthy. You’re worth it. You may not feel like it, but I promise you are!

This may involve difficult decisions. Simplifying, cutting and culling can involve grief reactions, or perhaps event guilt. Your sanity is worth it. Be kind to yourself so you have the energy to be kind to others, so you have the energy and creativity to make the world better. Have an awesome day.
 

Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist (but I could be 27 graduate school credits from now). I am your weather forecaster. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, and consult with your actual therapist about your mental health issues. One other thing: I plan to keep doing this forecast indefinitely, even when I am a therapist.
 

Gorge Weather Forecast

It’s another smoky morning with particulate matter of 120. Temps will be in the upper 60’s early (open windows) and mid 90’s later (close windows). Moderate west wind. No rainbows. Friday will start off in the mid 60’s and rise to the low 90’s with a good chance of thunderstorms. Moderate to strong westerlies. 1% chance of rainbows. Saturday may start off with a few marine clouds in the morning but will be sunny in the afternoon. Temps will be in the low 60’s (thank you, marine air!) early and the mid 80’s in the afternoon. Strong westerlies. .04% chance of rainbows. There’s a decent chance of a few sprinkles on Sunday morning.

For weather specifically directed at travel through the Gorge, please visit Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.
 

White Sprinter Van of the Day



 

Road and Mountain Biking

Whoopdee, Hospital Hill, and all other SDS and Kreps lands are closed from today on through the end of fire season. That’s when “significant rain” falls and the fire danger is considered over. Also currently closed: Dethman Ridge Road at Odell Creek and Highway 30 at Chenoweth Bridge. The second one has a bypass for bikes and pedestrians in place along The Dalles waterfront trail.
 

Upcoming Events

Today’s community events start with $5 Tai Chi at the Hood River Valley Adult Center at 2:30. At 5:30 tonight, there’s community sailing in Cascade Locks and a community bike n’ swim ride from Dirty Fingers, aka the Post n’ Pint and Post n’ Pint go Swimming. At 5:45 tonight, the Kayak Shed’s shop paddle heads down the Lower White Salmon. Families in the park starts at 6 at Jackson Park in Hood River with the band Calimba. There’s by-donation yoga at 6 at Samadhi in White Salmon and free Tai Chi at Our Savior Church in Bingen at 6:30.

If you need something to do this weekend, there’s Vintage Dufur Days and the Neon Classic Drag Races. For something quieter, check out the free half-day meditation retreat at Yoga Samadhi on sAturday afternoon. There’s a swap meet Saturday morning at Luhr Jensen, and the King of the Hook is Saturday afternoon.

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks in the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday morning. Look to the north sky for best results. You will probably have to drive east of Hood River to see the show.
Click here for the full events calendar.

Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

The Mt. Hood snow forecast is currently on vacation. It will stay on vacation until I deem it to be close enough to winter that we need a Mt. Hood snow forecast. Be safe out there on the snow this summer!

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

By Temira

Temira Lital is a recreation and travel weather forecaster based in Hood River, Oregon. Temira uses they/them pronouns. They're also a mental health counselor. Temira bikes, skis, windsurfs, paddles a SUP, swims in mountain lakes, and loves gardening. Most recently they've taken up SUP foiling. Temira is powered by La Croix, protein, and beets.