I hope everyone witnessed at least one meteor last night. I did! Tonight brings the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Sixty to one hundred meteors and fireballs blast across the sky each hour, starting around midnight and continuing until dawn. However, if windsurfing or kiting is your priority, you may want to use up all your energy today; the next couple of days look downright bad.
This morning, despite light gradients (.08, .03, .13) bodes well for this afternoon. A baroclinic zone (stalled front... line of clouds that's not going anywhere) sits over everyone west of Cascade Locks. Dripping drizzle, clouds hang over Portland for much of the day. As The Dalles and Arlington climb to 90 degrees, and Portland struggles to cross the 75 line, winds head for 25-28. Southwesterly upper level flow shifts best winds to the Hook, Mosier, Doug's/Rowena, Celilo and Avery. However, if last weekend's river flow is any indication of today's, tolerating Hatchery gustiness for fantastic swell might just be the call. Watch for incoming low clouds; stay east of the gloom (it's unlikely, by the way, that low clouds will push into HR, but it's always good to keep your eyes open), and don't forget to have fun.
Monday and Tuesday present problems for wind addicts. High pressure pushes into Oregon, squishing gradients into nothingness. Temperatures climb and windspeeds drop. Wakeboarding weather Monday morning may lead to 15mph winds in evening, and Tuesday looks like an non-sailable easterly start. Best chance for wind is Tuesday evening, as an upper level low off the coast sends marine clouds into Portland. Wednesday brings a renewed marine push of some sort, but with an upper level low off the coast, predictions are difficult this far out.
Enjoy the rest of you weekend on the water! Hopefully I'll see you out there later!
Print | posted @ Sunday, August 12, 2007 8:47 AM