Big winds likely for the Gorge starting tomorrow.

by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com

Video #1 Winds at ≈ 18,000 ft.

Today, Monday August 18: The Gorge has only low teen winds today . Looking at the video find the Gorge and notice the counter-clockwise spinning winds of the Cut-Off Low over Northern California. Then note the powerful WSW winds  north of the Gorge. There winds are from an upper trough over 3 miles aloft.

Video #2 & 3 Winds at ≈ 18,000 ft.

Tuesday August 19: Notice how overnight the Cut-Off Low you saw in the first video has dropped southward and is south of the S. F. Bay Area. This allow the powerful winds of the upper trough to come over the Gorge and the upper trough settles over the Pacific Northwest. 

 The Cut-Off Low  California should steer the upper trough over us. This:

a. enhances surface low pressure in the Columbia Basin.

b. Shoves the heat producing & gradient spoiling upper high eastward

c. Nudges the North Pacific High closer to the coast,

d. Increases brings clouds overhead and

e. Adds a major gust factor as the strong upper winds transfer momentum to the surface winds.

If all of this adds ups in the  wind equation parts to the Gorge should see upper 20’s wind tomorrow with gusts into the 30’s.

But remember…. this forecast all hinges on an unpredictable Cut-Off Low behaving!!!