Temira's Gorge Forecast

Once again it's a beautiful day in the Gorge. It doesn't get much better for mountain biking than early fall mornings: cool, crisp air, no crowds...

As for windsurfing, though... Sol crested the eastern hills this morning, showering Hood River with golden sunlight and illuminating little east wind whitecaps at Stevenson. With only a .06 gradient to start the day, and west winds on the way, it's probably not worth heading west (or east if you're in Portland, south if you're in Seattle, north if you're in San Francisco) for wind. If you'd like to spend the day at Bob's beach waiting for westerlies, you're not out of line. They should kick in between 4-6 pm, and Stevenson will get the first breeze. While you're waiting, you can work on your tan (it's getting to be crunch time for tanning) We should see wind in the 18-21 range, reaching as far as Hood River before dark.

Watch for dawn patrol potential tomorrow. If it happens, it won't be strong, say, 18-21, but it's better than nothing. If NOAA's Portland temperature predictions hold (I have a feeling they'll be downgrading tomorrow), Gorge winds will fade as the day goes on. I'll stick my neck out a little here and say that I think Portland won't hit 80-85 (as predicted), and we'll see 21-23 as the desert wins the heating race.

Thursday presents an interesting picture. An upper level low approaches the coast, causing two results: increased marine push and lessened gradients (low pressure to the west). In high summer, with intense desert heat, we'd see sailable westerlies. Now, however, we're going to see easterlies. As of now, we're looking at 15-20mph. Yay.

Interesting things happen come Friday, as low pressure slips over the state. Winds return to their proper direction of flow, but thunderstorm potential tempers wind quality and strength. We'll see... We'll see...

Have a great day!