Gorge wind season?

benpfree1 · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 126

Hi,
I'm looking to take a road trip up from the SF bay area to the gorge maybe in late August or September. I'm wondering if the wind is generally still good then or does the season taper off in August? are some spots generally better later in the season?
thank you
Ben

jota · Joined: 28 Feb 2001 Posts: 205

It tapers off then - it will be a crapshoot for sure. Bring bikes - the road and mountain biking is great then. So is hiking-camping on the mountains (still wildflowers up high, minimal bugs).

The wind might be great . . . I remember a September with multiple 3.2 days at Dougs. Or, certainly lots of strong easterlies potential. But there's also a very good chance of no wind at all. Sometimes it even rains a bit in the first week of September but that generally passes and we have a long beautiful "indian summer."

If you are determined to experience gorge winds, come back next July.

Personally, I love the late summer and fall here - but I am healing my callouses from the summer winds.

andymc4610 · Joined: 19 May 2000 Posts: 684

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Latter August is generally regarded as the Gorge's transition season, because westerly thermals get less reliable everywhere and easterly winds can become significant by then. It's not obvious that the change shifts site favor unless big easterlies do crop up (Rooster Rock and Stevenson); what Sep is more likely to do is bring incredible weather ... clear skies and less heat, warm water.

One issue late Aug and Sept bring is even greater forecast challenges. The desert will still be very warm, so thermals depend on Portland temps, which is very hard to predict as cloud cover comes and goes. Anyone who gets far from the river due to a calm Aug/Sep corridor forecast based on clear Portland skies is risking missing 14 hours on a 3.5. (That risk is lessened in this week's scenario, in which the heat reaches clear to the coast ... in which case, of course, one goes to the coast ... unless, of course, even the beaches [not the beach TOWNS; the actual SHORELINES] are hot.)

I ain't even a weather guru, but can still appreciate the forecast challenges of all this. It must drive professional or amateur wind forecasters nuts.

A road trip from CA to the Gorge after the tourist season starts to decline (mid-Aug?) will be a treasure even if it encounters little wind, and is pretty likely to produce wind.

Mike \m/

ldhr · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 121

depends on your definition of windy. windy enough for kites, shortboards, or course racing? the last 2 weeks of august and first 2 weeks of sept. can be very hot and wind-free. overall, it's 50-50 for winds over 20 mph.
if it's not windy in the gorge - it can be nice on the oregon coast, especially south of newport (florence, bandon, pistol river).