It’s mostly glassy in the Gorge this morning as an offshore low both smacks down gradients and destabilizes the atmosphere. As you may recall, a destabilized atmosphere means we could see thunderstorms this afternoon, and that could impact the wind. On the other hand, that offshore low will move in late in the day, driving a quick and massive increase in the onshore gradient. This means the forecast is a bit unclear, so let’s just toss out a scenario and see what happens. Continued after the chart…
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster Rock | beach | volleyball | with | buns | |
| Steven’s Locks | 0-10 | 10-13 | 23-26 | 26-30 | |
| Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) | 5-10 | 10-13 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | 0-10 | 10-13 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | |
| Rufus, etc. | 0-10 | 10-13 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 0-10 | 10-13 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | |
|
|||||
Gorge wind forecast, continued…
Expect light westerlies at 0-10 or maybe 5-10 through early afternoon. As the low starts to push onshore, we’ll see the gradients pick up (they were .04/.01 at 7am, in case you were wondering). If the GFS is correct, we’ll see westerlies at 23-26 from Stevenson to Mosier by about 3pm. Then we’ll see the wind jump to 26-30+ from Stevenson to Arlington by 5pm. Your best bet for wind will be any location that is lacking in active thunderstorms. Your earliest wind will be at Stevenson – the wind is probably going to hold out at all locations all night long, but you’ll be able to get on the water earlier in the western Gorge. If thunderstorms fire up, this forecast is invalid. =)
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The low pressure system will be east of us on Friday morning with high pressure off the coast. We like this setup. The actual location of Dawn Patrol on Friday will depend on how far inland we see marine clouds. I think Mosier is a safe bet Friday morning, with potential for 24-28 Dawn Patrol from Viento to Doug’s – just get out from under the clouds for the best wind. By late morning, we should have 26-30 pretty much everywhere east of the marine layer, lasting until 5pm or so, after which the wind will fade just a bit.
Looking at Saturday, we have offshore high pressure and a heat low in the desert. That’s a good setup, and one in which the wind often beats the models. Models say 17-20 early Saturday with 23-26 in the afternoon, strongest near HR early and from Stevenson to Doug’s in the afternoon. Sunday’s models suggest 17-20 early and light wind later, but generally speaking with this kind of setup, the wind will last all day. We’ll have to wait and see what tomorrow’s model runs say.
Big Winds SUP Club
Show up and go paddling. No car racks. No hassle. Access 100-plus boards at the Event Site all summer long. With the Big Winds SUP Club, members get multi-use passes to the Big SUP Center, home to North America’s largest fleet of SUPs. A ten session pass starts at $149, includes a lesson, and use of a paddle, PFD and leash, as well as exclusive discounts at Big Winds.
Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast
Nuke Alley Thursday: 25-29+. Friday: 10-13. Saturday: 21-24. Sauvie’s Thursday: 12-15 after 5pm. Friday: 0-5. Saturday: 7-11. Coast (north/central/south). Thursday: 5-10/0-10/nope, W swell 4′ at 10 seconds. Friday: no/10-15/30+, W 4′ @ 10. Saturday: 15-20+/20-25+/30+, NW 4′ @ 8. Sunday: yes.
Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
There will be snow on the ground at Mt. Hood today, and every day until the glaciers completely melt away.
Random Morning Thoughts
In a totally shameless plug for emotional intelligence, I’m going to suggest a fun activity to everyone. See, understanding your emotions will allow you to be more centered and relate better to others. Many people think certain emotions are present or not. And many people think only one emotion can be present at a time. Either you’re mad, or you’re happy. Or you feel guilty or relieved. But the truth is you can feel many emotions at once. Lots of you know this. Some of you are just learning this.
It’s totally okay to have all these emotions, even if you feel ashamed or afraid of them. They’re yours, you’re stuck with them, so you might as well learn to interact with them with curiosity and acceptance. Then you and your emotions can coexist with less suffering.
In service of this process, I’m going to offer up this tidbit: the movie Inside Out is playing at Hood River Movies in the Park (Jackson Park) on Saturday evening at dusk. If you haven’t seen this movie, and especially if your kids haven’t seen this movie, you should go. I’m not a person who says “should”, but I’m doing it in this case. This movie is awesome, and it’s a great primer in emotional intelligence. Go watch it. You’ll be happy you did.
Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist (but I could be in 700 days). 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
What an awesome morning – the sky is filled with little fluffy convective clouds, and I’m going to have the Orb song stuck in my head all day long. A great thing about little fluffy clouds is that they’re a sign of convective potential in the atmosphere. It’s possible we’ll see thunder and an amazing sunset this evening. Expect muggy weather today with temps in the upper 50’s early and the mid 80’s in the afternoon. Light wind early, strong wind in the evening. 3% chance of rainbows.
Friday looks partly cloudy to start, or maybe clear, depending on the inward penetration of the marine layer. Temps will be in the upper 50’s early and the mid 70’s in the afternoon. Strong wind. 1% chance of rainbows. Saturday looks sunny with temps in the upper 50’s early and the low 80’s in the afternoon.
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
Looks like you’ll have until early afternoon to enjoy a light wind bike ride. You’ll have little fluffy clouds overhead and muggy air to contend with, so maybe intersperse swimming with your riding today.
Upcoming Events
Today’s events include the weekly Post n’ Pint bike ride at Dirty Fingers at 5:30. Ride fast for 2 hours and earn a pint of beer. There’s free yoga at 6 tonight at Samadhi, free Tai Chi at Our Savior Church in Bingen at 6:30, and free Zumba at 6:30 at the Parkdale Community Center. The weekly community sailing night in Cascade Locks isn’t happening this week.
Tomorrow morning at 7 is the Kickstand Coffee run, where jogging 4 miles gets you free coffee and a donut, and then we’re on to the weekend, with a mountain cleanup at Meadows, a campout and trail work party at Falls Creek, a windsurfing race in Hood River, and Movies in the Park in Hood River. There’s also a kiteboarding safety talk with free beer at the Event Site on Saturday evening at 8pm.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
