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Tuesday: windy in the Gorge, stormy on the mountain. much warmer weather coming soon!

The best wind forecast for the Gorge. The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best weather forecast for the Gorge.

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These are ranges for the average speed reading, not a predicted wind range. =)
Your favorite launch dawn
patrol
morning max afternoon max executive
session
Iwash (Rooster) Rock cloudy. buns no tan today
Stevenson 5-10 10-13 17-20 14-17
Viento 10-13 10-13 17-20 14-17
Swell-Hood River 10-13 10-13 17-20 14-17
Lyle to Doug’s 14-17 17-20 26-29 26-29
Rufus, etc. 26-29 26-29 26-29 26-29
Roosevelt & Arlington 20-23 20-23 23-26 23-26+
River flow yesterday: 106-177kcfsRiver temp: 53.06F High temp: 57F

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hi friends! It’s looking like a darn fine, and rather reasonable, day to get on the river. Models have backed off some on today’s wind strength, but it’ll still be enough. Looking ahead, we’ll see lingering light-to-moderate westerlies Wednesday followed by light easterlies Thursday and Friday. Models are hinting that westerlies might return late Saturday. They’re coalescing around three moderately strong days Sunday through Tuesday, but these hot spells like we’re expecting sometimes last longer than models first predict. So… let’s focus on today first:

Today I’m headed to Rufus to try my GoFoil RS1150 and 14.5” tail. The 14.5” tail was fast and smooth with the RS 1300 – cut through the river like the proverbial hot knife through butter. I’ll let you know how it goes! Pressures at 6am were 30.22/30.13/30.05 for gradients of 0.08 and 0.08 with added help from offshore high pressure. Wind speeds were generally in the teens with mid 20s near Maryhill. By mid-morning, as the desert sun and west-side clouds do their thing with the temps, we should see 26-29 from Avery to Rufus with 19-22 at Arlington and gusty 17-20 from Stevenson to Doug’s. Actually, Stevenson will probably take longer than that to join the fun. When we looked yesterday, models had Rufus and areas to the east at 28-32 in the afternoon. As of this morning, 26-29 from Lyle to Rufus with 23-26 at Arlington looks like our afternoon plan. That said, it’s a darn fine setup, and I would be surprised if we exceed the forecast by 3-5mph. If I had to guess, I’d guess the direction will be “right” for the Rufus stretch of the river, but I’ve been wrong before! From Stevenson to Mosier, the wind will fall to 14-17 in the afternoon. River flow over the last 24 hours was 106-177klcfs, river temp is 53.06F, and high temp forecast are 57F for Hood River and 60F for Arlington.

High pressure starts to build inland on Wednesday, but we should see just enough thermal gradient and synoptic-scale help for lingering westerlies. The day starts with 10-13 from Stevenson to Swell with 5-10 to the east. Afternoon wind builds to 13-16 from Stevenson to Swell or Hood River with 5-10 to the east. High temp: 68F. Thursday starts calm, rises to E 10-15 for a few hours at Iwash (Rooster) and Stevenson, and drops to 10mph in the afternoon. From Hood River eastward, easterlies pick up to 5-10mph.

Extended: Friday brings easterlies at 20-25mph at Iwash and Stevenson. Saturday: calm early potentially turning westerly late in the day if the heat low shifts east early enough. As of this morning, models have the heat low settled firmly in the desert by Sunday. This leads to several days of Corridor-focused west wind. Sounds like a great week: plenty of time on the water, plenty of time to recover. See you out there!  

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Mt. Hood Weather Forecast

Hi skiers and riders! Stormy weather continues on Mt. Hood this morning. After that: sunshine for an extended period. Over the last 24 hours, Timberline picked up ANOTHER 10” of snow. That makes 26” for the storm total. Snow water equivalent at the Mt. Hood Test Site is now 95% of average. And that’s probably where we’ll peak for the year.

Tuesday kicks off windy and snowy with temps in the mid 20s. It ends sunny with temps in the low 30s. The snow level will be 2000′ in the morning and will slowly rise to 4000′. Just a trace of snow is forecast prior to the clouds clearing mid-morning. Wind: NW 30-40 in the morning, NW 20-30 in the afternoon, and variable to 10 overnight.

Wednesday will be sunny. The freezing level rises from 4000′ to 8000′ by the afternoon (temps in the low 40s) and then rises to 8500′ overnight. Wind: variable to 10 in the morning, N 20 in the afternoon, and E 20 overnight. Radiational cooling should refreeze the snow overnight. Thursday will be sunny all day. The freezing level rises from 8500′ to 12,000′ with temps maxing out in the low to mid 50s. Wind: E 20 in the morning, ENE 15 in the afternoon, and SE 15 after midnight. Sunny, warm weather sticks around through Sunday with the freezing level at 12,000′ or higher. Can you say, “Spring skiing”? After Tuesday, we start to see more variation in the models. Actually, we see a huge range of possibilities starting about 10 days out. In the meantime, enjoy the sun and corn – remember that it’s going to take a few days to transform the recent snow to corn.  

 

Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Forecast – On vacation ‘til summer unless otherwise noted

 

Very basic Hood River weather forecast. Don’t plan your life around this. You really should read Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook

Mostly cloudy sky, sprinkles, and low 40s early. Upper 50s and partly cloudy later. Moderate westerlies. 100% chance of rainbows (just saw one). Wednesday: clear and mid 30s early and clear and upper 60s later. Light to moderate west wind. No rainbows. Thursday: sunny. Low 40s early. Upper 70s later. Light easterlies. No rainbows.  

Local-ish Events

Please let me know of outdoor-related local-ish events. If you don’t tell me, I don’t know!

Regular weekly events:. NK Studio’s by-donation Tuesday morning yoga class is back. Ferment’s Tuesday night 4-mile walk/run is at 6pm. There’s meditation with monks at 5:15pm (an hour) and 6:30pm (30 minutes plus a talk) at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon. The Tri Club is done for the season. At 7:15am on Wednesdays, there’s a run from the White Salmon Bakery. At 7am on Friday morning, there’s a run from Pine Street Bakery. On Fridays at 2:30pm, there’s a free meditation and stretching class at Yoga Samadhi. On Saturday at 9am, there’s a by-donation outdoor group fitness on the 2rd floor deck about Ferment Brewing.  

Cycling

It’s probably too muddy to ride without causing trail damage right now except perhaps at Syncline. Break out your gravel or road bike as an alternative. Cows are out on Hospital Hill. NO DOGS. That means you, all of you, even your dog that’s [insert adjective]. No dogs. Do not risk access for everyone. No parking at the corral. Whoopdee flowers are in full bloom. Hospital Hill and Syncline have ticks, oaks, and flowers. Columbia Hills is full of flowers and open to your bike. Definitely got a Tack Alert going on out there right now – lots of good dirt. It’s trail-building season. Get on the HRATS mailing list if you’d like to help out. If you’re parking at Post Canyon, you will need a parking pass. Those can be purchased at many local shops or online.  

Sprinter Van of the Week!

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Have an awesome day!

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.