Random Morning Thoughts
I just got on NOAA to check the temps for Hood River for this weekend, and I swear the Hood River Chamber of Commerce must have paid them off. Saturday and Sunday, both day and night, bear the “breezy” icon. I’ve never seen the breezy icon in the forecast that far out. Of course, I don’t really think it’s possible to pay NOAA to do that, but the thought made me chuckle, especially since today and tomorrow are equally deserving of that icon, and they just have “sunny” icons. Anyway, please see the “biking” section for round II of today’s random thoughts.
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Tomorrow’s forecast status (thank you, Famous Potato Designs!):
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| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster’s Rocks | get an | all-over tan |
this | afternoon | |
| Steven’s Locks | 13-16 | 13-16 | 16-19 | 19-22 | |
| Hatchery (minus a few for Hood River) | 18-22 | 21-24 | gusty 24-28 |
gusty 24-28 |
|
| Doug’s, etc. | 18-22 | 24-28 | 26-30 | 26-30 | |
| Rufus, etc. | 18-22 | 24-28 | 26-30 | 26-30 | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 18-22 | 21-24 | 26-30 | 22-26 | |
Gorge Wind
Yesterday was a bit of a bust in the wind department, as the weak weather disturbance stuck around for much longer than predicted, turning it into a strongly wind disturbing disturbance. I hope the missed call on wind strength didn’t mess your day up as much as it messed my day up.
Anyway, today’s setup is better, but the marine layer has made it past Hood River. And that means you’re driving if you’re chasing the strongest wind, at least early today. Gradients at 5am were .12/.10/.25, suggesting you should be somewhere between Lyle and Rufus. Expect up-and-down 20-25 from Mosier to Arlington for the early morning session. Then expect 23-27 from Lyle to Rufus midday, picking up to 26-30 in those sections by afternoon. The Hatchery and Hood River were under low clouds at 6am, but I suspect those clouds will burn back, allowing the local beaches to go to 24-28 from late morning to mid-afternoon. Stevenson, well, it’s cloudy, so expect less wind there.
Tomorrow starts with less marine layer and weakening high pressure off the coast. We’ll start with 14-17 from the Hatch to Mosier, picking up to gusty 23-26 in the afternoon from Stevenson to Doug’s, with the strongest wind likely at Stevenson and other beaches becoming gusty as this low approaches.
Saturday looks lighter, as that offshore low detracts from gradient strength. We’ll see upper teens or maybe low twenties. Sunday looks light in the morning but increasingly windy as the day goes on, probably reaching the mid-twenties in the afternoon. If the long range forecast is correct, we’ll go back into a near-perfect setup starting Sunday night.
If you were sailing at the Hatchery yesterday, visit Grant Myrdal’s website for your photos. He was shooting there all day.
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Gorge Weather
It’s partly cloudy this morning, but not cloudy enough to produce rain or rainbows. Expect the clouds to burn off as the day goes on, leaving us with a sunny, windy day with temps in the mid 70’s. Tomorrow starts with temps in the mid 50’s, rising to the upper 70’s with moderate west wind. Saturday looks just a touch warmer than Friday.
Road and Mountain Biking
I checked the wind on iWindsurf yesterday, and it was windy, so I went to the beach. But the wind was gone by the time I arrived. So I checked the roads on iRoadBike, and they were forecast to be there. I got on my bike, and you know what? The roads were there the whole time I was riding. Amazing. I just checked iMountainBike, and there’s a 100% chance of the trails being there today Anyone want to ride?
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
River Levels
The White Salmon is at 2.75′. The Klickitat is at 1370cfs. The John Day dam is putting out 240ishkcfs and The Dalles dam is reading 246kcfs. Columbia river temp is 64 degrees at The Dalles Dam.
Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events
Tonight at Dirty Fingers, it’s not only the Post n’ Pint, it’s the “Go America, F**k Cancer” fundraiser for Kiteboarding for Cancer. Come drink beer – all beer proceeds go to Kiteboarding for Cancer. Dress in your best red-white-and-blue and get a buzz on to support a good cause. Also tonight, there’s a women’s road bike ride leaving The Dalles City Cyclery at 5:30, there’s community Yoga at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon at 6:30, and there’s pickup rugby at Henkle Middle School at 3:30.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July, duh. There’s a parade in White Salmon at 1pm, and you can watch the fireworks from White Salmon without having to deal with Hood River fireworks traffic. You can also head to the port in Bingen for a sanctioned “blow s**t up” celebration with Washington fireworks, beating Oregon fireworks year after year. Tomorrow is also First Friday in Hood River, with art and drinks and music on the streets.
Tomorrow is also the first day of the window for the Freedom Frenzy freestyle windsurfing event at the Hatchery. And if you happen to be active duty police, fire or military, you get free ½ day passes to Skibowl’s Adventure Park tomorrow.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
