I woke up this morning just before 6 and looked out the window. Much to my delight, the bird feeders were swinging, the tree branches were casting moving shadows, and the curtains were blowing inward at a 45 degree angle. It’s windy! We don’t have many marine clouds supporting this morning’s wind, but we do have monster onshore gradients that aren’t going anywhere: .16 (pdx-dls), .07 (dls-psc), and .62 (eph-dls). But before we get into that, a comment on yesterday: a little weather system arrived in the afternoon, and that killed the wind near Hood River and left Stevenson as the windy spot yesterday. Darn weather system – thank goodness it moved through last night. Anyway, on to today’s forecast… Continued after the chart.
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster’s Rocks | Hot | bods | hot | sand | |
| Steven’s Locks | 10-15 | 18-22 | 24-28 | 24-28 | |
| Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) | 17-20 | 20-24+ | 26-30 | 23-27 | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | 15-20 | 20-24 | 26-30 | 26-30 | |
| Rufus, etc. | 15-20 | 10-15 | 15-20 | 23-26 | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 15-20 | 10-15 | 10-15 | 15-18 | |
|
|||||
Gorge Wind Forecast, continued…
Coast Wind Forecast (when I remember).
Good thing I changed my noon appointment in Portland to 3:45, because we’re all going to play on the river today. Expect upper teens to low twenties everywhere for the Dawn Patrol and early morning session, except at the Event Site, where, according to iWindsurf, it’s blowing in the upper twenties. I betcha Mosier is doing the same! The wind will back off east of The Dalles this morning and ramp up near Hood River, hitting 26-30 by late morning from Swell to Doug’s. Stevenson will join in a bit later. As usual, the Hatch area will likely die off mid to late afternoon, but Rowena will blow til dusk. We’ll see Rufus join back in after 2pm sometime with 23-26, and Arlington will jump in with 15-18 late.
Yippee!
Tomorrow’s Gorge models look very similar to today, and the offshore high pressure is modeled to be even stronger. We’ll still see the strongest wind focused from Swell to Doug’s, with Dawn Patrol at 23-26+ and wind from midday on in the 26-30 range. There is one thing to note about tomorrow: at some point in the afternoon, an upper level low will move into BC. That could kill the wind near Hood River, and it could also, depending on timing, throw the eastern Gorge beaches into the mix.
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Friday looks a little more complex as that upper low moves into BC and Alberta. Modes suggest Dawn Patrol at 21-24 with afternoon wind at 24-28. That’s likely, I think, as the atmosphere will settle down in the afternoon.
The weekend forecast, all of a sudden, looks much better. This changeability, by the way, is why I hesitate to say anything about the weekend before Wednesday. As of this morning, both days look to start with 10-13. Saturday looks like 24-28 in the afternoon, and Sunday looks like 17-21.
Out on the coast, where the competitors are all driving to the Pistol River Wave Bash today, you can expect the following (north/central/south): 10-15/15-20/30-40, S 2′ @ 15 seconds. Tomorrow: 15-20/20-25/35-45, S 2@14. Friday: 20-25/25-35/stupid windy, W 7@13.
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Nothing to say here today.
Random Morning Thoughts
Let’s talk about “should” today. I’m sure we’ve talked about that word before, but it’s good to refresh. When we say, “I should be doing (x),” we are following someone else’s desires, or our perception of someone else’s desires, not our own heart.
If you really like doing what other people want, not what you want, you can stop reading right now and go hit the water. Otherwise, read on: Each of us carries our own wisdom about what is best for us. I like windsurfing. It’s the best for me. You may like kiteboarding because it’s the best for you. We know these things in our hearts, and we follow them. If I tell you that you should windsurf, and you’re a die-hard kiter, you’re going to think I’m nuts – you love kiting. So why don’t we follow implement this in other parts of our lives when people should-bomb us?
So often we ignore our hearts when we hear “you should”. We take jobs because we should, or eat foods because we should, or we hang out with certain people because we should. And that turns life from a joyous process into drudgery. Check this out: It’s okay to follow your heart; give yourself permission to trust your instincts.
Next time you hear yourself saying “I should…”, ask yourself, “Whose should is this?” And ask your heart what it really wants. And if you feel you must do that thing that you’re “shoulding” about (like learning to windsurf because your kids want to, for example), see if you can find a way to be grateful for doing that thing. (Perhaps you love your kids and want them to be happy, so you’ll joyfully windsurf with them!)
To recap: 1) that “should” you’re hearing, it’s someone else telling you what to do. 2) Listen to your heart. 3) Give yourself permission to follow it, because it’s wise and knows what’s best for you.
Gorge Weather Forecast
It’s 11 degrees colder and 20mph windier this morning over yesterday morning, and the dewpoint is at least 10 degrees cooler. These are good signs that you won’t be baking in your own skin and dripping sweat just standing around today. Expect temps in the upper 50’s early and the low to mid 80’s this afternoon. Nuking wind. No rainbows.
Tomorrow looks nearly identical to today, with temps in the upper 50’s early, low to mid 80’s in the afternoon, nuking wind, and no rainbows. We’ll see a bit of a weather system swing through late Thursday or early Friday for some high clouds. Temps will drop a few degrees, into the low 50’s in the morning and the upper 70’s in the afternoon. Nuking wind. No rainbows. The weekend looks slightly cooler and a little less windy, but still won’t bring any rainbows.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
If you are planning a road bike ride in the next three days, you will be suffering from the effects of the wind. You’ll find less wind at the higher elevation rides, but still, it’s going to be windy. In other news, Boulder Lakes trail is confirmed open with some trees down.
If you are planning ahead, plan to not ride Post Canyon the weekend of the 20th. Not only is it the Enduro, but it’s 12 Hours of Post, and there will be racers all over the trail system. In other cycling news, the 20th is also the Dirty Fingers Anniversary party, themed “Black Tie, Leather or Toga” this year. Start working on your costume.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
You like frisbees. You know you do. And here’s your chance to play Ultimate Frisbee with a great group of fun people. Registration is now open for the Gorge Ultimate Frisbee Summer League, meeting every Wednesday evening from June 17th to August 5th at Wy’East Middle School. All levels are welcome; teams are captained. Your $40 registration fee includes mid and end-of-season BBQ’s, an end of season tournament, and more fun than you can put a price on. Get registered now at GorgeUltimate.com.
Upcoming Events
Tonight’s a busy one with sailboat racing at the Hood River Marina, the women’s Post n’ Pinot mountain bike ride at Dirty Fingers, a whitewater paddle on the White Salmon at 5:30 in Husum, and ping pong at the Hood River armory.
Tonight is the first Families at Family Man for the summer. If you have kids, bring them to Family Man at 5:30 for a large-group playdate with bikes. Bring snacks to share.
Coming up tomorrow night, Da Kine is hosting a showing of a mountain biking movie at 8pm, doors at 6:30. This is a by-donation event, and all proceeds go to benefit the Hood River Area Trail Stewards, the volunteer organization that does much of the trail construction around here.
Tomorrow starts Pistol River Wave Bash down in Gold Beach, so the pro windsurfers will be out of town sailing insanely windy conditions. Closer to home, there’s a windsurf race at the Event Site Saturday, an equestrian ride in Wasco on Saturday, and a Standup Paddle movie at Andrews on Saturday.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
