UPDATE 1PM Video Blog: 3 mile canyon averaging 35 mph!

windfind · Joined: 18 Mar 1997 Posts: 1901

Hi Gang,

Update at 1:20PM Saturday. The new satellite video below shows the storm hitting the Gorge. As expected the strong winds are focused out east with 3 Mile Canyon averaging a steady 35 mph. Notice the wave clouds I mentioned in the blog.

Mike Godsey

From yesterday: Take a look at the forecast below for tomorrow. How often do you see summer forecasts like this in the Gorge? I mean we do sometimes do see summertime low to mid 30's but what is with all the VERY GUSTY AND UNSETTLED....UNRELIABLE stuff.

This video blog tells the story and hints of how to find usable wind.

http://blog.weatherflow.com/west-coast-wind-blog-late-summer-storm-winds-hit-gorge/

Mike Godsey
iwindsurf.com

Larry.Lampshade · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 23

Maybe 2000' lines on a kite could catch it... Smile

windfind · Joined: 18 Mar 1997 Posts: 1901

Hi Gang,

Below is an 8AM satellite image of the storm. It is beginning to look like the storm winds are so southerly and unstable that most of the wind will go right over the Gorge at almost a right angle. The coast is getting battered.

Mike Godsey
iwindsurf.com

gmclean · Joined: 08 Mar 2001 Posts: 91

It was rainy and light when we arrived at about 11am but the blue sky was right behind us. Wind cranked up soon after and sailing was great.

The UW wrf model nailed the timing of the wind increase within an hour. This model usually does really well with large scale features like this storm. Fall is coming so its worth checking it on a regular basis.

Main Page:
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/

Good high resolution view of the gorge wind forecast:

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~ovens/wxloop.cgi?mm5d3_cg_wssfc+///3

biffmalibu · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 556

gmclean · Joined: 08 Mar 2001 Posts: 91

3 mile

30knotwind · Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 239 Location: White Salmon, WA

Saturday at 3mile/Loroc on a 3.7 was pure joy! As good as it gets in the gorge. Attached is from my GoPro; even with the wide lens it looks huge, and it was, notice that land is obscured in pic 2 and I am not on the bottom of the wave while camera is above my head! Swell connoisseurs will notice the golf ball texture on the wave, wow was it nice! (Could be George or Spencer in the background of pic 1.)

Now we know that at the end of a rainbow is a juicy swell, pic 2!

Also, my watch in pic 2 says 3:05pm, that was when it was averaging 35, gusting to 45. Wind direction was WSW, which is not the perfect direction for swell here but makes reaching up the river easy. I can only imagine how large it would have been if it was a true SW wind.
Chris

A great MM5 forecast summary is here:
http://www.windsurforegon.com/oregon-columbia-gorge-mm5

Full size images here:
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/files/3mile_river_wide_swell2_159.jpg
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/files/3mile_tall_and_smooth_137.jpg

brettn · Joined: 22 Nov 2000 Posts: 114

Interesting session in Bellingham. Rigged 4.5 and 102 liters because it looked windy but better rig big because you're never overpowered in August in Bellingham. Wrong. Our sensor died when a gust of 58 hit it. Another sensor well protected from the strongest winds showed 62mph at one point. Was wishing for 35-pound waterlogged polyester board and 3.0!

biffmalibu · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 556

Thank you for nice photos of giant swell. One of my dreams is to do a downwinder from Roosevelt to 3 Mile (there is an Indian boat ramp on the WA side to land at). If anybody is game someday, I would love to hear back. I figure it would be about an hour or less of solid surfing. That is one downwinder I don't want to do alone, and it would be wise to stick together in a small group of 2-4 competent windsurfers.

30knotwind · Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 239 Location: White Salmon, WA

Here is a video of a ride on Saturday at 3mile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecRDrolu01o