The Gorge Is My Gym

GORGE WIND FORECAST

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Keep in mind that this forecast attempts to predict what the iKite/iWind sensors will read. Think like a local! All sensors are not equal. Swell reads low. Viento/Arlington/The Wall read high compared to Swell. 30mph at Rufus (The Wall sensor) is about 23-24mph at Swell. 30mph at Swell is about 35-37mph at Rufus/Viento/Arlington. Hope that helps!

SHORT-TERM gorge wind forecast

Hi friends! On tap in the Gorge wind forecast: a series of (gusty) west wind days thanks to chilly moving pieces off the west coast. Y’all (I’m still too broken to join you, so it’s definitely “y’all” not “us”) will likely be playing near Hood River in the mornings and shifting east to the Rowena/Rufus zones in the afternoon. That said, with all these moving pieces, it’s likely to be quite gusty in the Rufus stretch.

Wednesday morning started with pressures of 30.05/29.95/29.91 for gradients of 0.10/0.04. Offshore: low pressure and an approaching trough (cool air, in other wods). Cloud cover: extensive over the metro area and forecast to burn off this afternoon. Early wind was 20-23mph from Viento to the Hatch with 10-13mph at Stevenson and also east of Hood River to Rufus. Arlington started the day with 16-19mph. Morning wind hovers in the 21-24mph from Viento to the Hatch and quickly fills in from Stevenson to Mosier.

In the afternoon, models indicate a fade to gusty 17-20mph between Stevenson and Hood River with the Mosier-Rufus zone slowly climbing to 25-29mph. Arlington eventually joins at that range too. Given the moving pieces in this setup, conditions are likely to be quite gusty this afternoon as we lose the stability granted by the morning marine layer. River flow over the last 24 hours was 101-157kcfs, river temp is 72.3F, and high temp forecast is 83 for Hood River and low 90s in the desert.

RIVER FLOW FOR SITES BETWEEN AVERY (EAST OF THE DALLES) AND RUFUS: CLICK HERE FOR JOHN DAY DAM FLOW.

RIVER FLOW FOR SITES BETWEEN STEVENSON AND DOUG’S BEACH (WEST OF THE DALLES): CLICK HERE FOR THE DALLES DAM FLOW

LONGER-TERM gorge wind forecast

On Thursday, we’ll start with low clouds to the west and sun to the east with a cold front anticipated midday. That will reinforce cloud cover. What’s this mean for the wind? We start with 11-14mph all through the Gorge. If the clouds are as extensive as predicted, the Stevenson to Hood River zone will rise to gusty 14-17mph mid-morning while Mosier to Rufus climb to 21-24mph. Afternoon: gusty 16-19mph from Stevenson to Hood River (a stronger burst is possible after the system moves through), gusty 26-29mph from Lyle to Arlington, and 22-25mph at Threemile. The front moving through will likely cause the wind to dip for a couple hours before turning direction and rebuilding. It’s worth mentioning that models are terrible at catching Hatch-area post-frontal wind, so don’t be surprised if there’s a strong, very gusty, 90ish minute burst after the system goes through. High temps: 76 in Hood River and mid 80s out east.

Friday morning starts with light westerlies and clouds west of Hood River. Offshore high pressure returns and lends a hand. Conditions should be less gusty. Midday wind builds to 21-24mph from Stevenson to Mosier with 14-17mph near Rowena. Afternoon depends on what the clouds do. I suspect they may linger longer than predicted which would allow the Stevenson-Hood River wind to hold at 21-24mph. Between Mosier and Avery or Celilo, the wind builds to 23-27mph in the afternoon. Rufus will join if those west-side clouds linger longer than expected. Highs: 77-85.

Saturday looks quite similar to Friday – wind will be focused near Hood River in the morning and will spread to the Rowena area in the afternoon. Models indicate high uncertainty for Sunday. Best shot for wind will be from Stevenson to Hood River with Mosier possible as well. It’s worth mentioning that many ensemble members are not optimistic about Sunday. Optimism is back on Monday with most ensemble members calling for westerlies of some sort Monday through Wednesday. I’m actually gone helping teach a retreat this weekend. I’ll take my computer and try to get some sort of forecast out, but I can’t make any promises given my still-broken condition. Everything is taking a really long time right now! Okay… y’all have fun on the Nch’i Wana today. I hope to see you out there soon!

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BARE BONES HOOD RIVER WEATHER FORECAST

Clear this morning with partly high cloudy sky later. Temps start in the mid 60s and rise to the lo w80s. Moderately strong westerlies. No rainbows. Thursday will be partly cloudy then clear. Temps start in the upper 50s and rise to the mid 70s. Light westerlies becoming moderate. No rainbows. Friday will be partly cloudy then clear. Temps start in the mid 50s and rise to the upper 70s. Light westerlies early. Moderately strong later. No rainbows.