Wednesday. Good dirt, bad wind, and judgment-free rainbows.

The wind on the river this Wednesday morning is the epitomy of light and variable, despite westerly gradients of .02 (pdx-dls) and .03 (dls-psc). Once again today, we have a tricky weather setup: increasing westerly gradients combine with an increasingly unstable atmosphere this afternoon for a mostly-unpredictable day on the river. In addition, that pesky low pressure system is sitting right off the coast, keeping cross-Cascade gradients minimal all day. Continued after the chart…

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	rain	thunder	naked	lumberers
Steven’s Locks	light	light	10-13	10-13
Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River)	light	5-10	15-18	10-13
Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena	light	5-10	15-18	21-24
Rufus, etc.	light	5-10	15-18	21-24
Roosevelt, etc.	light	5-10	15-18	15-18

 

Gorge wind forecast, continued…

If today’s models are correct, we’ll see a light and variable morning on the river, continuing through early afternoon. Then we’ll see the wind pick up to 15-18 from Hood River east to Arlington, followed by a late bump in the 21-24 range from Rowena to Rufus. That said, it’s likely the western Gorge, from Stevenson to Mosier, will end up in the rain zone again today, limiting wind speeds. You’ll need to do a bit of driving to find the best chance of wind.

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Thursday looks very similar to today, with the addition of even more instability in the atmosphere. Models say we’ll see W 5-10 from Stevenson to Mosier in the morning with 13-16 further east. Not much in the way of wind will happen in the western Gorge tomorrow (for opening day of fishing season). Beaches east of Mosier will see up-and-down 12-15.

Coming up Friday, the atmosphere will also be unstable, but the pesky upper level low will shift inland. This kind of setup usually results in a messy, rainy, unstable day. That said, it currently looks like we’ll see 10-13 in the morning with 20-23 in the afternoon. As of right now, a long ways out, Saturday looks like W 13-16 and Sunday looks like E 10-15.
 

Mt. Adams Country Bike Tour – Temira’s Favorite!

The 14th Annual Mt. Adams Country Bicycle Tour on June 25th will have you cycling on quiet country roads around the Trout Lake area with Mt. Adams right over your shoulder. Four ride options include an 11½-mile Family Friendly ride, a 51-mile Trout Lake – BZ Corner – Glenwood Loop, a 54-mile Forest Route and a 105-mile Infinity Ride. All rides feature well-marked routes, well-stocked rest stops, lunch and dinner options, plus sag wagons, repair support and emergency coverage.It’s a carefree ride through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Pacific Northwest.
 

Jones, Sauvie’s, Coast Beta Test Forecast

Jones Wednesday: no. Jones Thursday: 13-16, maybe. Jones Friday: 20-23, maybe. All wind may be destroyed by thundershowers. Sauvie’s Wednesday: no. Sauvie’s Thursday: 7-10. Sauvie’s Friday: 7-10. Coast: no north wind for the next three days. Swell today: W 5 @ 10 and SW 3 @ 16. Swell Thursday: W 5 @ 9 and SW 3 @ 15. Swell Friday: W 3 @ 9.
 

Support your forecaster, Temira!

Thank you for using this forecast. Does it save you time, gas money, or help you have more fun in your life? Make a donation! Get your forecast here for free or donate and get on the mailing list for year-round wind forecasts and ski season snow forecasts. Just click on my photo to donate via PayPal or credit card. The email isn’t $99/year. Not $50/year. No, just $12.34 or more gets you on the list for 12 months, and sometimes there are cool prizes. Don’t PayPal? Send a check to Temira @ PO Box 841 in Hood River. Thank you for your support, and thank you for trusting my forecast.

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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast

The snow level will be 4000′ this (Wednesday) morning and 6000′ this afternoon with a few inches of snow possible in afternoon showers. Thursday sees the snow level around 5500′ early and 6500′ in the afternoon. Same thing as today – a few inches possible in afternoon showers. Ditto on Friday with similar snow levels.
 

Random Morning Thoughts

I’m reading this awesome book on trauma right now (only an aspiring therapist would use the words awesome and trauma in a sentence together). The book talks about three different systems that interact to give us our present-moment emotional tone: sensorimotor (body and movement, to be succint), cognition, and emotion.

One of the interventions suggested by the book is teaching clients to study their bodily reactions while ignoring the accompanying thoughts and feelings. I love this. So often we get caught up in a feedback cycle of emotions feeding thoughts and those feeding bodily tension and bodily tensions feeding back into our feelings and thoughts.

By studying just the underlying physical piece, a couple of things happen. First, mindfulness is brought online, bring the individual into the present moment and away from speculations about the future and past regrets. Second, the amount of information the individual has to process is decreased by the size of the thoughts and emotions. These both can help reduce distress.

It’s a fun thing to play with, studying just one piece of the body/thought/emotion triad. Or at least, I find it fun. You may too, especially over the next couple of afternoons when it’s raining (unless you want to go for a walk in the rain, always a fun activity!). Your mind-body is awesome. Approach it with playfulness and curiosity, and you’ll have an awesome day.
 

Disclaimer required by my grad school program: I am not your therapist (but I could be in 708 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

In a surprise showing, the Nothing is out there this morning, blocking the lowlanders’ view of the blue sky being enjoyed by the highlanders. We’ll see some sun this morning, but as the air warms, it will also destabilize, leading to afternoon showers. Temps will be in the low 40’s early and the upper 60’s in the afternoon. Light to moderate wind. 57% chance of rainbows. Thursday starts off partly cloudy and turns showery and rainy midday with a chance of thunderstorms and perhaps a tiny chance of hail. Temps will be in the low 50’s early. 57% chance of rainbows. Models suggest 70 degrees in the afternoon. That would be quite impressive, and quite muggy, if it happens. Friday looks very much like Thursday with a higher chance of rainbows, perhaps 78%.

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

Over the last couple of days, we’ve had a total of .6” or so of rain. In a normal year, that would have turned the trails into mudbogs, but because June has been so dry, the trails were tacky for short periods yesterday in between rainstorms. You’ll find the same today – give it a couple hours to dry this morning and then sneak in a ride before the next round of rain. All trails from High Prairie down are now open on the 44 Road, although you may encounter snow up there over the next few days. In road biking news, the Twin Tunnels is now open, and the Gorge Ride is this weekend and the Mt. Adams Country Bike Tour is next weekend.
 

Upcoming Events

Today’s events include community meditation at 8:15 at Flow Yoga and community yoga at the Heartgate Sanctuary at 8:30. There’s ping pong at the Hood River Armory at 5, and the women’s Post n’ Pinot bike ride at Dirty Fingers at 5:30, trail conditions permitting. Otherwise it’s women’s social hour at Dirty Fingers at 5:30. The men’s version follows tomorrow night. Same place, same time, same conditions.

Looking at Saturday, the Gorge Ride road bike ride takes place in The Dalles, so expect lots of bikes on the road. Saturdya’s opening day of sailing season is in Cascade Locks with free Sailboat rides, it’s White Salmon Backyard Half Marathon Day, and the Washougal Race for the Future mountain bike race.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira