Wednesday: three more days of westerlies, at least. Which will be windiest?

September 18, 2024

Wednesday: three more days of westerlies, at least. Which will be windiest?

The best wind forecast for the Gorge. The best snow forecast for Mt. Hood. The best weather forecast for the Gorge. These are ranges for the average speed reading, not a predicted wind range. =) Your favorite launch dawnpatrol morning max afternoon max executivesession Iwash (Rooster) Rock sunny sky buns lie Stevenson 5-10 10-13 20-23…

Meet your forecaster: Temira

For almost 30 years, Temira (they/them) has been making the most of the Gorge: riding river swell, shredding powder, and cycling all the gravel and pavement and trails. This is Temira’s playground, their gym… their life’s work.

This passion led Temira to take a vow: In 2006, Temira decided to provide the most accurate, hyper-local weather forecasts possible. Today, Temira’s forecasts have become an essential resource for thousands of skiers, snowboarders, wind sports enthusiasts and Gorge commuters. With Temira’s guidance, you can plan ahead, time your sessions perfectly, and just plain have more fun! But the story doesn’t end there.

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

Your favorite launch	dawn patrol	morning max	afternoon max	executive session
These are ranges for the average speed reading, not a predicted wind range. =)
Iwash (Rooster) Rock	sunny	sky	buns	lie
Stevenson	5-10	10-13	20-23	20-23
Viento	15-18	15-18	20-23	20-23
Swell-Hood River	15-18	15-18	20-23	20-23
Lyle to Doug’s	7-10	11-14	20-23	20-23
Rufus, etc: 57-84kcfs flow	10-13	7-10	14-17	14-17
Roosevelt & Arlington	10-13	7-10	10-13	10-13
River flow last 24 hours: 57-84kcfskcfs		River temp: 67.64F	HR High temp: 73F

Gorge Wind Forecast

Hi friends! Goodness there were a lot of you out playing in the Rufus stretch of the river yesterday! I hope all of you who made it had a spectacular time! We’ll have strong-enough westerlies for many of you today (Wednesday) through Friday. After that, there’s quite a bit of uncertainty in the ensembles and between the main models, so it’s nearly impossible to make a prediction for the weekend or next week, even though we’re only a few days out.

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Wednesday started partly cloudy in the west and sunny from Hood River eastward. At 7am, pressures were 29.97/29.91/29.90 for gradients of 0.06 and 0.01. Best results today will be found west of The Dalles. Reality was already beating models at the time of this forecast with 15-18mph from Viento to Swell with 10ish near the White Salmon bridge and 5-10 everywhere else. We should see the wind fill in at 15-18 from Stevenson to Mosier this morning with 11-14 from Lyle to Rufus. High pressure consolidates offshore this afternoon as a low transits south to California. This allows westerlies to build to 20-23 from Stevenson to Avery with 14-17 near Rufus. Timing: after 2pm. Areas east of Rufus should be under 10mph today. River flow over the last 24 hours was 57-84kcfs, river temp is 67.64F, and high temp forecast is 73F in Hood River.

High pressure lingers offshore on Thursday. Somewhat warmer temps return to the desert. Dawn patrol looks like 17-20 from Viento to Swell with less than 10mph everywhere else. By late morning, westerlies rise to 21-24 from Stevenson to Mosier with 17-20 from Lyle to Avery and 14-17 near Rufus. A very weak system approaching from the north may interrupt the wind field in the afternoon near Swell, but it also may not. If it’s disruptive, Swell drops to 17-20. If it’s not, it rises to 22-25. From Mosier to Avery, westerlies rise to 23-26 in the afternoon. Rufus 17-20 if we’re unlucky. 20-23 if we’re lucky. Arlington waits until the evening and then climbs to 20-23. High temp: 73F for Hood River and 81F out in the desert.

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Cooler conditions on the west side Friday combine with warmer conditions on the east side for a somewhat stronger day. Dawn Patrol looks like 21-24 from Viento to Mosier with 13-16 east to Arlington. Stevenson: cloudy and 10-13 to start. Westerlies quickly build to 24-27 from Viento to Mosier with 20-23 at Stevenson and the Rowena stretch. Swell dips to 17-20 in the afternoon, and Mosier to Avery fills in at 22-26 with 19-22 at Rufus. High temp: 68F in Hood River.

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Extended: there’s quite a bit of uncertainty over the weekend and beyond. Models disagree on the overall pattern, and ensemble members disagree on the details. Generally speaking, Saturday looks relatively light. We then see gust predictions between 11 and 41mph for Sunday. I’m not even going to try! Beyond that, uncertainty continues. Let’s give it a day or two to settle out, shall we? Have a great day on the river today!

Jones, Sauvie Island, Oregon Coast

North/Central/South coast, waves (swell forecast provided by NWS). Wind forecast for the afternoon (unless it’s a storm on the coast, in which case that’s peak wind during the day). Wind direction N (coast/Sauvie Island) and W (Jones) unless otherwise noted. Wednesday: 15/15-20/25, NW swell 5′ at 11 seconds. Thursday: 15-20/20-25/30, NW 6′ @ 10. Friday: 15-20/20-25/30-35, NW 5′ @ 9. Jones Wednesday: 10-13. Thursday: 16-19. Friday: 10-13. Sauvie Island Wednesday: 11-14. Thursday: 11-14. Friday: 10-13. &nbsp Alan’s Sauvie Island Wind Sensor

Mt. Hood Weather Forecast

I’m tired. It’s on vacation.

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

Clear sky all day Wednesday. Temps start near 60 and rise to the low 70s. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Thursday will be partly cloudy then clear. Temps start in the low 50s and rise to the low 70s. Moderately strong westerlies. No rainbows. Friday will be partly cloudy then mostly clear. Temps start near 50 and rise to the upper 60s. Strong westerlies. No rainbows.

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Cycling

All vehicles on HR County forest roads need a gallon of water and a shovel. Check the Hood River County Foresty/Trails website for current Post Canyon area closures. Fire or fire danger closures: Whoopdee, Underwood, Hospital Hill, most of Post Canyon, Gorge 400, trails around Mt. Adams. Dog River is closed for logging and rerouting until mid-September. Open: 44 Road Trails, Ape Canyon, Lewis River, Falls Creek, Columbia Hills, Gunsight, Boulder Lakes, Siouxon, Sandy Ridge. Twin Tunnels reopened for a day or two, and then it closed again – I have photo evidence to prove this! Remember that E-bikes are not allowed on USFS non-moto trails. They are allowed on moto trails.