It's another beautiful, sunny day in the Gorge! Ocean beaches also bask under sunny skies today! It's not a good day for beachgoers, though. With winds in the small craft advisory range, blowing sand will exfoliate sun gods and goddesses, hard at work on tanning their bodies in preparation for winter.
I was planning on heading to Oceanside, but I just checked the surfcam. Waves there are miniscule, so I'm sticking around here for a day of mountain biking. If you like small waves and lots of wind (jumping weather), head to the coast for 25+ all day long, wherever you go. If you're up for the long haul, Florence (the coldest place on the planet) promises nuclear strength winds, with gusts to 40.
On the river... the iWindsurf Stevenson sensor is currently down (and has been for a while, I think). I just emailed them, asking them to fix it for us. In the meantime, here's NOAA's sensor map for the Gorge (not that it's much help, but it's good to know it exists): http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/frame.php?map=colriver
We're looking at .07 gradient right now, which isn't normally windsurfing weather for easterlies. I'd imagine it's blowing in the 15-18 range now. We'll see winds in the low twenties by noon, but today is nothing to fly in for. If you're a kiter, you're stoked. Today should stay in your usable wind range all day long. Perfect for the Home Valley to Stevenson downwind session! I suggest you get your kiting in today.
Tomorrow brings the first big east wind day of the fall season. As a disturbance drops into eastern Oregon, Stevenson and Rooster Rock blast in the 28-32 range. If you get out early, it'll be cold, and the wind will have even more power. (The first person to provide me with equations relating wind power to air temperature gets a dozen fresh-baked cookies - Ron? Arthur?). Winds blow hard well into the afternoon tomorrow, so you don't have to be in a rush.
Monday sees coast winds turning offshore as well. Surfers are super-stoked! Windsurfers: same deal as Sunday. Mama Stevenson dishes up 30ish winds, once again made more powerful by 45-55 degree morning air.
Have a great day today!
Print | posted @ Saturday, September 08, 2007 8:08 AM