Temira's Gorge Forecast

Good morning sailors!

Thanks to my good pals at NOAA for forgetting to mention that the Gorge was going to be under an inversion yesterday and today. Unmixed air, like unmixed cookie dough (thanks for the delicious cookies, Terri) is no good. Cold air pooled in Hood River yesterday, giving us sleet for most of the day and snow in the evening. I spent a lovely evening sitting in a hot tub watching the snow fall and feeling the wet flakes land on my warm skin.

Anyway....

The inversion should break up today, and with temps in the upper 30's already, we won't see more snow at windsurfing elevations. We will see, however, a bit of west wind this afternoon. If you're a psycho kiteboarder (Ben Dale?) you might want to throw your gear in the car.

If you're a windsurfer, you're probably waiting for tomorrow onward, when east winds terrorize the kind people of Stevenson, Corbett, and other places unfortunate enough to be situated in the east wind Corridor. Can you imagine living somewhere that consistently suffered from below-freezing temps coupled with 30+ mph winds? Permanent hypothermia and an unending string of bad hair days are the only results of that.

With high pressure building and holding over Oregon, east winds will rule the Gorge all week. Overnight temps in the 20's in the Gorge and upper 30's in Portland, coupled with a heat low off the coast later this week, will set up strong east winds for (you guessed it) Thanksgiving day!!! I should mention that we'll probably see some clouds this week in the Gorge, while Portland and desert dwellers brown their backs under sunny skies (well, maybe it's a little cold for that).

Start making excuses now for your three-hour escape from family duties. I'll be at the boat ramp in Stevenson along with Laura, John, and Dave Brown, patiently awaiting small sails from our friends at Hot Sails Maui.

Have a great day today!

Temira